


Making an Example

by Avalonn



Category: Robin Hood (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Character Death, Drama, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-01-27
Updated: 2012-03-17
Packaged: 2017-10-30 04:58:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/328003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avalonn/pseuds/Avalonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lots of twists, plots, questions, and of course, angst! Can't really explain the story here, so you'll just have to read and trust me. But trust me, there are lost of surprises to come. #majorrobinangst</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"We were going to eat." Much growled. He crouched behind a thorn bush, slowly rocking back and forth on his heels. He looked up at Robin, who was peering through the leaves of a tree down at the road beneath them. Robin had heard that merchants from Nottingham were traveling to Prince John. Supposedly they were taking his share of the taxes, and they were heavily guarded. Robin had heard from a "little birdie" inside the castle, and everyone knew who that was. Marian was always filling them in with details ever since she had been living in the castle.

"What?" Robin asked, not having been paying attention. He was waiting with eagle's wings for the sound of hooves to sound down the trail. He stood at the ready, one hand on the arrows strapped on his back. He turned his head towards Much and lowered his hand to his side.

"You said we would eat when we were done with the last village." Much said, supporting his last statement.

"That was before Marian told me about the merchants." Robin said. He turned back towards the tree, knowing fully well that this argument wasn't going to end up well on Much's side.

"I haven't eaten since this morning." Much complained again. "Would you rather grab a couple of coins, or save your loyal friend from hunger?"

Robin looked down at Much and smiled. Knowing Robin's answer Much frowned and looked away.

"Great friend you are." Much mumbled.

"Much, I'm only joking. I would rather save you from hunger, if you were starving." Robin said. "And you are not starving."

"And how would you know that?" Much asked. "I could be a sack of bones underneath these…"

"Shhh." Robin hushed Much before he could get another word out. He had finally heard the noise he was waiting for, hooves pounding against the ground. It sounded like ten horses, but Robin couldn't be sure. He looked over at his friends, who were each hiding in their own spot, ready to attack when needed. Will was in a tree across the road, Djaq in the branch next to him. Allan was to Robin's left, behind a large tree. He held a bow in his left hand and two arrows in his right. He somehow thought two arrows would be enough. He chuckled to himself at Allan's bravery. Little John was to the right of Robin, his giant staff in hand. He would be the first one to jump out, followed by the rest. He would be the one to stop them, as he always was. Robin nodded at each of them. He pulled out an arrow and strung it on his own bow, pulling it back far so it would fly far enough. The merchants were now in sight, and Robin could make out their number of guards.

"Master, there are too many of them." Much said, sinking closer to the ground. "There are only six of us."

Robin looked down at him, and frowned. "Do not say that. We can take them." When Robin said it, the words felt like a lie on his lips. He doubted his own statement, but kept quiet. He got back into position, and arched his bow again. As the horses with men upon their backs came closer, Robin let go of his arrow. It went sailing to the front horse, and landed right in front of it. The horse reared, the man barely holding onto the rains. Robin looked over at Little John, who was just about to jump. He watched him land on the ground with ease, surprising the men. Robin jumped out next, followed by the rest of his men.

"What is this?" The leader of the merchants said. "Move from our path, and let us be on our way."

"I'm afraid we can't do that." Robin said, signaling for his gang to start unloading the packs of coins. "We have direct orders to take your wealth, and the Prince's wealth, and hand it to the needy." Robin walked to the leader and pointed his bow at him. The man slowly got off of his horse. Around Robin, all of the men were getting off also, terrified of the men with weapons. Even the guards, who were trained to be ready for anything, followed orders. They knew what Robin and his gang were capable of, and they didn't want to experience it firsthand. They were gathered at a small tree to the left, guarded by Little John himself.

The leader stared at Robin with fierce eyes. "You are one of Robin's men, are you not?" He backed into the horse, grabbing its reins. Robin noticed this, but ignored it.

"That is no interest to you." Robin said. He patted the leader down, finding one sack of gold coins. He stuffed it in his back pocket. "Do not worry. This will go to a needy family."

"I do not worry about where it will go." The man said angrily. "And I do believe that it is interest to me, since you are robbing me."

"If I am robbing you, then why, do tell, would I give you my name or who I am with?" Robin said, circling the horse. He came back around to the man, and stuck one coin in his hand. "This is for your misfortune." Robin jumped on the horse, and the man backed away. Robin signaled for Will, Allan, and Little John to get on a horse too. Each jumped on one, with the exception of Little John.

"I don't ride horses." He said. "I'll walk." Robin shrugged. Much jumped on the back of Robin's horse, and Djaq on the back of Will's horse. Robin pulled on the reins, and the horse walked in a circle. Will and Allan went forward, letting Robin bring up the back. Before Robin left, he went up next to the man, leaned down, and whispered.

"I am Robin Hood."

Nottingham Castle

Sir Guy paused outside the large oak doors of the Sheriff's office. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He didn't want to go in there, let alone tell the Sheriff what had happened. He would be furious, and blame him. The Sheriff always blamed Sir Guy for mistakes like these. When Robin escapes, when Robin steals something, when Robin ruins a plan, all Sir Guy's mistakes. It was all about Robin. Robin had to ruin everything, take everything away from him. He took away his love a long time ago, and is slowly taking her back again. He needed to get Robin, and kill him.

As Sir Guy thought these things, his fists rolled into balls. He clenched his teeth as he turned to the door, and quickly opened them. He was Immidiently faced with the Sheriff, who had obviously been waiting right by the doors.

"Gisborne." The Sheriff said, gaining a smile on his face. "I do hope its good news you bring me."

Sir Guy looked away from the Sheriff and closed his eyes once again. "I'm afraid not. It's Robin."

"What about Robin?" The Sheriff asked. His eyes began to light up with anger.

"Robin….He…..intercepted the merchants. He took all the money." Sir Guy said cautiously. "He completely surprised them."

The Sheriff backed away from Sir Guy. He put his hands behind his head and walked over to the nearest window. He closed his eyes, as Sir Guy had done twice already. "He got the money." He repeated what Sir Guy had said. "All of it." It wasn't a question.

Sir Guy walked up behind the Sheriff. "Yes, but I will get Robin for it. Even if I have to…."

"He got the money!" The Sheriff yelled. "He got all of the bloody money!" Sir Guy quickly backed up, afraid of what the Sheriff might do.

"He has the money, but I will get it back. I will find Locksley and I will kill him." Sir Guy said, slight anger in his voice.

The Sheriff spun around to Sir Guy. "Don't you get it?" He asked calmly. "You will never get Robin!" The Sheriff paced to his desk and plopped down in his seat. He got a piece of parchment and began writing furiously.

"What are you doing?" Sir Guy asked with concern, not for the Sheriff, but for himself.

"I'm writing to Prince John. I'm telling him that we do not have the money. That he will have to come to Nottingham and take my land. He will have to kill us all." The Sheriff slammed his quill on the desk. "He will have to kill you and me!"

Sir Guy slammed his fist on the desk. "I can get Robin! I will kill him! I will not fail this time." The Sheriff laughed.

"You have failed every time. How will this one be any different?" He stood up and went up to Sir Guy. "You will never kill Robin Hood." He whispered in his hear, hate evident in his voice.

Sir Guy backed up. He rubbed his face with his hands, then sat down in a seat across from the desk. He looked up at the Sheriff.

"I have an idea." He stated, hoping the Sheriff would listen.

"Like your last one?" The Sheriff laughed.

"I'm serious." Sir Guy said angrily.

The Sheriff sighed. "What is it?"

Sir Guy stood up. "When he robbed the merchants, they said Robin told them they were taking it to the needy."

"Great job, you've figured out what we already knew." The Sheriff scoffed. "Where are you going with this?"

Sir Guy silently rolled his eyes, than continued. "If he said that, then he's probably taking it Immidiently."

The Sheriff's eyes lit up. He looked up at Sir Guy with a child like smile. "Get soldiers at each of the village's near here. Yes, yes. We will finally capture Robin Hood!"

Sir Guy sighed with relief at his intelligence. "We will go to the one nearest to where he took the money." With that he turned around and walked towards the door.

"I do believe you are of good use, Gisborne." The Sheriff said before Sir Guy left the room. He smiled as he once again opened the oak doors.

He smiled not because of the Sheriff, but because of his cunning plan. Finally, he would capture Robin, and maybe even his gang. He would torture him until he gave the whereabouts of his stash, than kill him. And maybe, if the Sheriff allowed, he could do that in front of all of Locksley. Where his people lived, and he grew up. The last thing Robin Hood would see was his home, the terrified faces of the villagers around him. His followers, or whatever he called them, would all watch. Then, when Robin was dead, he would kill them too. Sir Guy felt like a child on Christmas Eve, waiting for his final present.

"Your horse, Sir." Sir Guy shook his head. A man with rains in his hand was talking to him.

"Thank you." He said, and climbed on the horse. He felt oddly kind at that moment, with all of the plans ahead on his mind. He called for his men to gather at the village where he thought Robin would go.

"May I ask where you are going?" The man who had handed Sir Guy his horse asked. He was a small old man with a hunched back. His face was pale white, with black circles around each eye.

"I'm going to get revenge." With that, he galloped off after his men, gleaming eyes on the village ahead.

Ladler Village

Robin pulled on the reins as he came up to the village. He didn't want to come closer to the village with the horse yet. He would walk the rest of the way in, bringing the horse in later so the villagers could have an extra animal. Much slid off of the butt, making the horse neigh. Much started yelling at it, looking like a complete fool. Robin hopped off of the horse, just as Will came up to him.

"What's with him?" He asked, looking at Much weirdly.

"He's arguing…with the horse." Robin said. He grabbed the bags off of the horse's back and slung them over his shoulder.

"Ah." Will said. "What's the plan then?"

"We'll split up. Djaq, Much, and Allan will take the north side. Me, you, and Little John will take the south." Robin said, he called for Much to come and they walked towards the others.

"Are you sure Djaq should go with them?" Will asked. Robin stopped.

"Why?" He asked.

"Never mind." Will said. They kept walking. Will's face turned red, though Robin didn't notice.

Djaq, Allan, and Little John were peering at the village from behind large bushes. They were waiting for their leader, not daring to go against his orders. As Robin walked up to them, Little John noticed him.

"Are we ready?" He asked. Robin told them the plan, instructing them to meet back at the camp when their bags were empty.

"Are you sure you want to split up? We've never done that before." Much said.

"I'm sure. We'll cover more ground." Robin said.

"I'm not being funny, but don't you think if we're in smaller groups they'd be able to get us easier. I mean, what if you go back and they take us." Allan said.

"Allan, you're over thinking it. There are no soldiers here, relax." Robin was starting to get frustrated. "You know I wouldn't let that happen."

Everyone agreed, and they set out.

 

~~~RH~~~RH~~~RH~~~RH

Robin walked ahead of Will and Little John, keeping an eye out as Much and his group went to the opposite side. He wanted to be sure they got there safely, even if there were no soldiers here. When they were out of sight, he lead his group to their side.

"Will, you take those houses. Little John, take the ones over there." Robin pointed to each section. "I'll take these." Little John nodded and headed to the direction Robin had pointed. Will hesitated.

"What's the matter?" Robin asked. He took his bag off of his back.

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling." Will looked to the ground, knowing Robin would think he was a fool.

"I promise, nothing is going to happen." Robin patted him on the shoulder, and Will went to his assigned street. Robin smiled as he walked off. Will was always the one with the bad feelings, and nothing ever happened. He kind of felt sorry for him, always being wrong about stuff. But Robin also looked up to him, for he was brave and strong. Every brave man had to have a weakness, and Robin had found Will's the day he met him.

Robin walked up to his first house. He noticed a man working behind it, caring for his garden. Actually, it wasn't much of a garden anymore. The plants were withered, and he seemed to be trying everything to get them back. Robin watched as the man collapsed to the ground, and put his face in his hands. A woman came out of the house, carrying a young child. She went over to him, and kneeled beside him. Robin took this as a chance to approach them. He walked around the small fence that surrounded half of their house, the other half missing.

"Could I be of some assistance?" He asked as he walked up to them. The woman looked up at him, no expression on her face.

"We do not need you to ridicule us, we know we have nothing. Take your guards and leave." The man spoke without lifting his head. The woman tapped him on the shoulder, and he looked at her. Before she could speak, Robin did.

"That would be impossible, considering I don't have any guards. And I am not here to ridicule you, but to lift your spirits." Robin smiled as the man turned his head towards him. He quickly got to his feet, the woman following behind him.

"Robin? Robin Hood?" The man asked. Robin nodded, and the man broke out into a grin. The woman hugged her husband, the baby squeezed in between them. Robin opened his sack and took out thirty coins. The man took them gratefully, bowing his head.

"Thank you. You will be remembered for this, by all." Robin shook the man's hand, kissed the woman and baby on their cheeks, and headed to the next house. He smiled as he heard the woman crying with tears of joy, and the man laughing.

Robin went through the next three houses quickly, noticing the sun was about to go down. He knew the others were probably half way done, not stopping at each house for long. Robin felt like he needed to take his time, to make sure the people were happy. He also loved seeing their expressions. He knew the others secretly left the money, without anybody seeing them.

As he approached his last house, a woman came running out of it. An infant was in her arms, crying loudly. She ran up to Robin, falling on her knees.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked urgently. He fell to the ground also, trying to get the woman up. The woman didn't answer, but instead continue to bawl. "Mam, what's the matter?"

The woman looked up at him. Tears streamed down her face. She was rocking back and forth. "They killed my son!" She nearly yelled. Robin stood up Immidiently. He helped the woman up.

"Who? Who killed him?" Robin asked.

"The soldiers! They killed little Johnny!" She nearly fell again, but Robin caught her. He carefully took the baby from her arms, afraid she might drop him. The woman continued to cry.

"Where's your husband?" Robin asked.

"He's gone, in the Holy Land." The woman sniffed. She started to shake.

Robin sighed. He had to get the boy's body out of there. He didn't want to leave the woman to be with it. It was already hard enough.

"Where's Johnny?" He asked. The woman pointed in the house. Robin gave the baby back to the distressed woman, trusting she was under control. The woman silently thanked him as he walked to her door.

Robin stepped through the door way. He looked around the house, finding a bundled heap on some folded hay. He rubbed his face before he walked over to it. As he approached it, he noticed blood around the edges. He closed his eyes, and sat down on the floor. After a few moments of sitting there, he got back up, looking at the stained cloth. Instead of pulling the blanket off, he kept it on as he lifted the stiff body. He was surprised at how light it was, and a little worried. As he walked towards the door, he heard someone call his name.

"Robin Hood, saving the day." He knew the voice right off. He quickly turned around.

"Gisborne." Robin sneered. He held the body protectively to his chest.

"What do you have there? A dead boy perhaps?" Sir Guy said. He was leaning against a table in the middle of the room. He had his hand on his sword, ready to pull it.

"Only the one you have slain." Robin sneered right back again. He stepped backwards towards the doorway, not wanting to fight. The woman would be scared as it was.

Gisborne stood up straight. "I have slain nobody, but I will." He looked at the bundle in Robin's arms. Robin looked down also, and noticed flour was pouring through the bottom. He pulled back the cover quickly, and threw it to the ground. Bags of flour busted, making the room foggy. Robin now knew this was a trap, and he turned to run. Before he could make it outside, the woman stepped in front of him, no baby in her arms.

"Now where do you think you're going?" She said. She reached her hand to her hair and pulled it off. Underneath was pure blonde hair, not dirty brown. Robin scowled at her. "You didn't get my son out."

Robin pulled out his sword and held it to her throat.

"Now you wouldn't kill a lady, would you?" She asked. Fear shown in her eyes.

"No, I wouldn't." With that, he pushed the woman out of the way. She fell backwards, yelping as she hit the dirt. Robin, thinking he had a chance to get free, put his sword back in it's sheaf. Right before he could run, he felt something hard hit his back.

"Where ARE you going?" Robin heard Sir Guy say. Robin fell to the ground. He felt the thing hit his back again. Robin turned over on his back, trying to get out. He watched as Sir Guy brought down a piece of wood again. This time it hit his stomach. Robin yelped.

"Stop." Robin managed to get out. He heard screams around him. The villagers were watching in horror as their only hope was being beaten. Robin looked over at them, just as the wood made contact with his head. His vision was gone, and so was he.

Much had heard the screaming as he was walking towards the forest. He looked over at Djaq and Allan, and they all ran towards the shouting. There was a crowd surrounding a house, and he heard a voice he recognized.

"Master!" Much felt something go through him, and he began pushing through the people. As he got to the front, he bumped into metal. He looked up into the face of a burly guard.

"Let me through!" Much tried to push him aside. Djaq and Allan came up, trying to get through also. The guards laughed as they grabbed hold of their arms. More guards appeared, holding Little John and Will. They struggled, but to no avail. Much tried to peer over the heads, and yelped as he saw the scene. Robin had just looked at him, while he laid on the ground, when Sir Guy hit him. Robin's head lolled to the side, and Much began screaming. Around him was chaos. The villagers began running as more guards appeared. The gang was still struggling to get free. Everyone was bumping, shoving, to get out. The gang was brought to the sides of the street, out of the way of the running villagers. They laughed, and Much wanted to kill them.

"Let me go!" He yelled again. The guard laughed even harder as a wagon approached them. A cage was attached to the back of it. They were pushed to it, then inside of it. As someone closed the back, Much began searching for his friend. He found Sir Guy looming over Robin. Much began yelling, but he could not be heard over the noise. Sir Guy bent down, and slapped the already unconscious hero. He picked Robin up, and slung him over his shoulder. As they disappeared into the crowd, Much turned to the others.

"This cannot be happening." Little John said. He held onto the bars on the cage. "This, I do not like." He growled.

"How could we get caught in this?" Djaq said. She sat down on the floor. "We were always so careful."

"I told Robin I had a bad feeling." Will said, shaking his head. "This is my fault. I should've stayed with him."

"This is nobody's fault." Little John said. He turned towards the others. "No one's fault but the Sheriff's."

"We have to get Robin." Much muttered. He slid to the ground also. "We have to get him back."

Djaq scooted over to him. She looked into his eyes, than put her hand on his chest. She looked back at the others. "He's in shock."

"What do you mean shock?" Allan asked.

"It happens when something tragic happens. A person could be mentally unstable about what had happened, so stunned. He can't believe what's happened." She shook her head. "It's not healthy."

"He's gone, we have to get him." Much muttered again. Djaq rubbed his shoulder.

"Well great." Allan said. "Now we've got to look over a crazy sick person." He threw his hands in the air.

"He will be fine. I just have to get some water." She said sadly. She knew they would not get any soon, or even at all.

"We just have to find a way out of here." Little John said. Much was now rocking back and forth, tears streaming down his face. Little John looked at him. "And soon."

The carriage jerked as it began moving. By now, the villagers were gone. The sun was down, and Robin was nowhere in sight. Soldiers followed on each side, and some in the back, of the carriage.

Allan sat down with the rest. He looked at each of them. Little John was staring out at the sky, Will had his head between his knees, Much was still rocking, and Djaq was trying to calm him down. He sighed. "We shouldn't have split up."

The first thing Robin noticed when he woke, was that he wasn't lying down. He couldn't feel the crunchy leaves below him as he shifted, nor the hardness of the ground. Yet he knew he was still outside, for the birds chirped happily and the brush of the wind against his face stirred him more. Without opening his eyes, he lifted his head off of his chest. He smelled fire burning off in the distance mixed in with foul manure. As he opened his eyes, bright light fought his lids. But he forced them open to see what was around him.

"Do you think he's alright?"

"I don't know, shake him."

"Wait, he's waking up. Shh."

Robin moaned as everything came into view. Three women were standing around him, peering at him with concern. He looked into each of their faces. He tried to step forward, but was held back by ropes. He noticed his arms were tied around the pole also, which held him captive. He couldn't move a muscle other than his head.

"Where…." He started to speak, but his throat was dry and it prevented him from talking anymore.

"You're in Locksley, dear." The oldest of the women said. "I'm so sorry." She stepped away, and the other women followed. They looked at him one last time, then walked away.

He was confused. He couldn't remember anything before now, and he guessed it was because of a head injury. He put his head down, noticing the pain that shot through it. He sighed as he saw that he was elevated from the ground, at least two feet. His feet were on a small wooden block that emerged from the pole. He closed his eyes, only to reopen them when he heard a horrid voice.

"Robin Hood, waking up from his little nap." Gisborne said, walking out of a small house. He walked over to Robin, who stared down at him distastefully. "Aw, no need to say hello." He walked around Robin, gleaming up at him.

"I finally caught him, Robin of Locksley." Gisborne waved his hand around him, indicating the small village. "Where he was born," He said, then whispered, "and where he will die." He smiled, and broke out into laughter.

"Where are my men?" Robin asked. He needed to know they were okay. That they were safe.

"Oh, your gang?" Gisborne said. "They're safe, for now. But I wouldn't worry about them right now, I would be worrying about you." He poked Robin in the chest. "I found it quite amusing how I captured you last night. That women would've done anything for a few coins. Nasty little thing really, but she acted beautifully."

Robin leaned his head back against the wood, closed his eyes, and sighed. "Where, are my men?" He said slowly, anger rising inside of him.

Gisborne laughed at Robin, and nodded his head to the left. A little barn stood at the edge of the village, with gaping holes in it. The holes were patched with wood, but you could still see through it. Robin could see his men inside, who were staring right back at him. He couldn't make out they're facial expressions, but could tell who they were and that they were okay.

"Let them go. Kill me, but please, let them go." Robin looked back to Gisborne. "You are a coward, not letting your opponents defend themselves. A real man…."

"A real man wouldn't have gotten captured in the first place." Gisborne interrupted Robin. "A real man wouldn't steal, wouldn't betray they're ruler." He laughed. "But of course, you will never have a chance to be a real man, because you will be a dead one in no time."

"You're no man." Robin muttered.

Gisborne's anger blew. He raised his right hand and struck Robin across the face. Robin spat blood, and before he could lift his head, he was hit again. Robin closed his eyes as a sting coursed through his face.

"Where's brave Robin now?" Gisborne laughed. He turned around and shouted, "Take your places around him. Don't let anyone…anyone near him!" Soldiers appeared out of the corner of Robin's eyes. They surrounded him like a building, some near him, some farther away to keep outsiders out. They held their swords at the ready, just in case.

Gisborne turned back to Robin, who was still staring around him. "There's no way out of this, not this time." He turned and went to his horse. He hopped on and kicked it, sending them off into the distance. Robin knew he would be back.

"I hope he's wrong." Robin whispered distastefully.


	2. Chapter 2

"This is hopeless." Allan panted, laying on his back after he fell backwards from trying to open the door. "We're never gonna get out."

They had been trying to pry the door open for the past half hour, with no luck. Guards had nailed the door shut, and were keeping guard all around them. They had found holes in the wood, facing to where Robin was, but they weren't big enough for any of them to climb through.

"Do not say that, we will get out." Djaq said. She slid down the wall of the barn. "Hopefully."

"There's no chance. We've never been in something like this." Allan said.

"We've only been in here for an hour." Will pointed out from above. He sat on the rafters of the barn. "We've still got hope."

"Hope? From who?" Allan asked doubtingly.

Will looked down at Little John, who was sitting on a bale of hay. He looked back at him, and nodded. Will then looked at Much, who was staring at a wall. He had been silent ever since they got thrown in the barn. "Robin."

Everyone looked up at Will, even Much. Will saw a tear roll down Much's face.

"Robin, the one who's tied up outside?" Allan asked. "I don't think he's much of a help."

"Will, Alan is right. Robin cannot help us. He is the one who needs the saving this time." Djaq said.

"Guys, this is Robin we're talking about. The one who started this whole thing." Will said. He jumped down from the rafters. "A few ropes and guards aren't gonna stop him."

"That's not just a few guards out there." Allan nodded his head towards the door. "There's at least a hundred."

"Now you're over exaggerating." Little John said. "Will is right. Nothing has ever stopped Robin. He will get away."

Allan scoffed. "He is just a man. Not a..."  
"Hero?" Everyone turned their heads. Much looked up at them and stood up. "Robin is not, a hero?"

"Well yeah, he is, kind of." Allan said. "But he's certainly not God."

"But he's strong." Much said. He walked over to Allan. "He's a brave man, more then you'll ever know. Back in the Holy Land, he fought days on, even when wounded. He fought for this country, for his people, and his king. He fought for you." He pushed his finger to Allan's chest. "But..." Much backed away. He averted his eyes towards the holes in the wall, and saw Robin tied up, his head hanging down. Much sat back down, turning his eyes away from everyone. "He's never been alone."

Everyone was looking at Much, who had his legs pulled to his chest, and head in his arms. They stayed silent for the rest of the night. Nobody really slept, they all had their minds on Robin. They knew the Sheriff was after Robin mainly, and not his gang. They all worried for him that night.

When morning came, Much walked over to the holes. He watched Robin, who was still asleep. "Or unconscious." Much whispered. Before he turned around, he saw something. Three women walked towards Robin, who's head started to lift.

"Robins awake!" Much yelled behind him. Everyone came running over to him and looked out the window.

"What are they doing?" Allan asked.

The women seemed to be talking to him, but soon walked away. Robin had his head against the wood.

"Do you think he's alright?" Will asked.

"He looks okay." Djaq said. "But it's hard to tell from here."

"Is that Gisborne?" Little John said.

Gisborne walked out of a house, smiled, and walked over to Robin. He had a bounce in his stride, as if he woke up to music in his ears. They saw him talk to Robin, who talked back. Much smiled when Robin looked over at them. He started to yell his name, but Little John put his hand over his mouth.

"Do not draw attention to us." He said.

Robin turned away. He said something, which obviously made Gisborne mad. He raised his hand and slapped Robin across the face. Much about yelled again, but Little John stopped him. Gisborne slapped Robin again, and Much saw him spit blood out of his mouth. Gisborne turned away. He yelled something, and guards appeared. They surround Robin, but didn't get close to him. Much and the others watched Robin for a little longer, then went to sit down again.

"Well he's certainly not alone." Allan said.

"Oh, shut up." Will spat. He got up and walked over to a pile of wood by the door. He grabbed a few pieces, then went to sit back down. "Might as well make some weapons." He pulled out his knife and began to carve.

"Is this all we can do? Make weapons we'll never use?" Much asked. "We need to send a message to someone."

"What?" Little John said. "How would we do that?"

"I don't know. I'm just throwing out suggestions." Much hunched his shoulders and closed his eyes.

"No, he's right." Djaq said standing up. "We can write a letter and send it to someone."

"Like John said, how would we do that?" Will asked.

Djaq looked around the barn. "We could…use this." She picked up a rock.

"Hm. A rock." Allan said. "We're saved." He closed his eyes and leaned back. "Now let me sleep."

"Yes, a rock. If we melt some of it, it could be used to write." She said excitedly.

"On what?" Little John asked.

Djaq ripped off some of her shirt and held it up. "On this." She smiled.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Much asked. He had opened his eyes again.

"I'm positive." She said. "Now someone make a fire while I sharpen this."

Will got some hay together while Little john got some rocks to start it. Djaq grabbed Will's knife and began to make a point on the end. When she had held it over the fire long enough to melt some, Little John quickly put it out so the guards wouldn't see it.

"What're you gonna put?" Will asked.

Djaq held the rock over the cloth and began to write. "In Locksley…Captured…Robin in trouble." She looked up at everybody. "How does that sound?"

"Great, but who's it going to, and how is it getting to them?" Much asked.

"Well Marian of course….but I don't know how." Djaq said.

"We could ask a villager. Maybe one can sneak over here." Much said.

"No, no. How about we just ask a guard? Surely he'd understand." Allan said sarcastically.

"I think Much has got the right idea." Will said.

Allan rolled his eyes. "Much is just a genius today, isn't he?"

Little John shoved Allan, who cursed back. "What're you thinking Will?" John asked.

Will stood up and walked over to the back of the barn. There, a boarded up window was placed. But there was just enough room for a small hand to reach through a hole. "Nobody would see."

"But who?" Little John asked.

"I noticed last night that the guards switch out at night time." Djaq said. "They leave for about ten minutes, then new ones come."

"Just enough time to attract somebody's attention, and give them the letter." Much said hopefully.

"Yeah, but what if that person gets caught?" Allan asked.

Everyone knew that the chances of the letter getting to Marian safely were slim. How the messenger would even get in the castle was far beyond their thinking. Even if Marian got the letter, what could she do? She would be the only willing person to help them, even if the villagers were on Robin's side. They were all just too scared to do anything. That's why the three women left quickly after speaking to Robin. They were scared Gisborne would execute them just for talking to him. But they had to try, they had to hope.

Little John straightened up and sighed. "Just pray he doesn't."

RHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRH

Robin couldn't sleep at all that night. Not only because he was in an uncomfortable position, but also because he worried. He was scared what the Sheriff would do to his gang, or even the villagers. Through the night, the villagers of Locksley would get as close as they could, the guards standing in their way. They would look at him sadly, then smile for reassurance. Robin would smile back and nod, but he didn't mean it. They were soon pushed away by the soldiers, glancing back as they walked away.

When the sun rose high above the distant mountains, people began to emerge from their homes. They ignored Robin and went on with their daily jobs. The men tended their crops, while the women cleaned. Whenever someone tried to get close to Robin, the guards would shove them away, sometimes cursing at them. One man had tried to shove past them, yelling for Robin.

"Let him go!" He yelled. "This man is a hero, no display!" He tried to run past the guards, but they grabbed him by the arms. "Robin! We stand by you!" The guards dragged him away, threw him on a horse, and sent him to the castle dungeons. An elderly woman began to cry, but she continued her work, afraid of what the soldiers would do to her too.

Around noon, Robin began to feel very hungry. He realized he hadn't eaten in two days, and the effect on him was unnerving.

"You, fine soldier." Robin spoke to a guard to his left. "You wouldn't have any bread on you, perhaps some fish?" He smiled.

"Shut up." The burly man said. "You're in no place to be talking."

"Simple question, no need to get hasty." Robin sighed. He lowered his head. The sun was beating down on him, and his mouth was severely dry. He watched as the Sheriff's men took turns on drinking some water out of a container. He watched it go in the circle that surrounded him. When it came to the man he had spoken to earlier, he spoke up again.

"Water then?" He asked hopefully. "Surely you wouldn't deny a man of something so simple."

The guard laughed at Robin, making him sigh once again. "You run your mouth on like a fool. Keep it on, and the devil will be paying you a visit very soon."

Robin turned away. "More likely you then me." He muttered.

"Ey!" The guard had obviously heard him. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, your burliness." Robin said sarcastically. "It was Satan who said it."

The man growled. He threw down his shield he had been holding to his chest and briskly walked over to Robin. "I've had enough of your witty comments." He put his hand around Robin's throat and began to choke him. Robin tried to squirm away from him, but couldn't. He heard a yell from his right, which sounded like Much. He tried to concentrate on staying conscious while black dots danced in front of him. He could still make out the guard's face when a man came running over to him, though he couldn't make out who. When the sudden release of the man's grip came, Robin saw a face swim into his view. Gisborne smiled at Robin, said something and walked away. Just before it went black, he heard the sound of hooves coming from the distance. Then, stillness took his body.

RHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRH

Much paced back and forth, muttering something as he went. The others watched him, but soon got annoyed. Allan finally stood up and confronted him

"It's not going to get there any sooner by pacing and muttering." He whispered. "Sit down!"

Much rolled his eyes and obeyed orders.

They had sent the letter just as planned. As soon as the guards left, Djaq picked up some rocks and threw them at the closest home. One of them had obviously hit a young boy's room, for a boy of around fifteen had come out. They motioned for him to come to them. At first he was resistant, but soon caved. They told him about the letter, and who it was for.

"This is very important." Djaq had said. "This means the life or death of a hero."

The boy had glanced between them and Robin, who was staring out into the distance. The darkness was enough so that he couldn't even see what was happening, which is what they had hoped for. The boy had sighed and taken the cloth, with quick instructions on how to possibly get inside the castle.

"You are a brave young man." Djaq had encouraged the boy. "You will be a hero also." She had kissed him on the cheek, which made him blush. Will had coughed when she had kissed him, and Allan smiled at him.

Now their hope was in the boy, of only fifteen.

Will walked over to the holes, staring out at Robin. He seemed to be talking to the guards.  _Probably harassing them,_ Will thought. But when one of the guards had thrown down his shield and began choking Robin, Will yelled for the others.

"Master!" Much screamed when he saw what was happening. The burly guard would surely kill him, especially since Gisborne wasn't around. The others began banging on the door, shouting profanities at the guards blocking their way. Much stayed where he was, watching as Robin's life was slowly being taken away.

"For God's sake, stop!" He yelled. The guard seemed to have heard him, but kept on. But not for long. Gisborne rode up on his horse, and seeing what was happening, quickly dismounted and ran over. The guard let go of Robin, apologizing as Gisborne stepped forward into Robin's face. Much watched as Gisborne grinned when Robin's head plopped onto his chest. Much cried out for his master. He couldn't tell if Robin was unconscious or dead. The others ran to Much, and also began yelling. Gisborne seemed to have notice, and began to walk over.

"I'm glad you have front row seats." Gisborne said when he got to them. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be as fun." He peeked through the holes, gleaming at each of them. "The Sheriff's been sick lately, which leaves me in charge of Locksley."

Much began cursing at Gisborne. The others also began yelling again.

"Temper, temper." Gisborne cooed. "Don't wake up the outlaw." He laughed as he turned around and walked back to Robin. He shouted for the guards, and they gathered around him.

"Turn this man around, facing towards the barn. I want them all to see his face when he wakes." The Guards did as they were told. They each grabbed a part of the stake that held Robin. When Robin was on his back, they all took hold of it.

"And while you're at it," Gisborne quickly said, "move him closer to the barn also." The guards were directed as to where to put it. They not so gently put the stake back in the ground, Robin's head hitting the wood.

"That's more like it." Gisborne said cheerfully. "Now you can talk with your friends." He laughed. Robin was now only ten feet away from his gang. So close, yet still far away. In the process of moving him, Robin was now closer to the ground. They had put the stake too far in the ground, making Robin only a few inches off of the ground.

Gisborne walked over to Robin and his gang, who were staring at Robin with looks of concern.

"Don't worry, he's not dead." Gisborne said. "For now." He patted Robin's cheek and left for his horse.

"Oh, and don't wake him too early. It's better when he's asleep, you know, no food or water for days." He called out as he galloped off.

When they were alone, the guards returned to their station, but they weren't as close as before. They were still around the barn, but now the others that were around Robin, were off in the village, monitoring everyone.

"Robin?" Much asked eagerly, hoping to wake his friend. "Master?"

"Much, I hate to say it, but Gisborne is right." Djaq said. "It is better we don't wake him. We have water, he doesn't. He must be miserable when he is not sleeping."

"But we could give him some." Much said. He ran over to the trough that held their water. He gathered some in his hands and quickly walked back over.

"Much, he is too far away." Djaq said sadly. He realized that when he got back. He had reached his hands out one hole, but he couldn't reach. Little John laid a hand on Much's shoulder.

"It's not fair." Much muttered. He backed away, sitting down. "Why him? Why not us?"

"Much..." Will started.

"It's not fair!" Much yelled. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. He covered his face, ashamed of how weak he was in front of his friends.

"Nothing's fair. He is only in this situation because he is brave, just like you said." Djaq tried to calm Much.

"Yeah, it's kind of an honor really." Allan said. Little John shoved Allan once again, sending him to the floor.

"What?" He said annoyed. "Just trying to help."

"I've had enough of your helping!" Little John said. He moved towards Allan, fist in the air.

Djaq quickly got to her feet, getting in between Little John and Allan. She held her hands up. "Do not hurt him." She said. "You will regret it afterwards."

"I'm sure I can handle it." He said, moving around her. Right before he hit, Will yelled.

"Stop, everyone!" Will called from where Robin was.

"What's wrong?" Much lifted his head, staring at Will.

"He's waking up."


	3. Chapter 3

"Will?" Robin choked out when his vision was clear. He had just woken up; his head pounding and body aching. Will was standing a few feet away from him, inside what looked to be a barn. "What…"

"Master!" Much nearly screamed. "Master, you're awake!" Much had run over to the window, pushing Will out of the way. "How're you feeling?" He looked anxious, eyes scanning over Robin's body.

"Awful." Robin mumbled, moving his head around trying to pop his neck. He felt so sore. "Why am I over here?"

"Some kind of sick joke." Much grumbled, moving over to let Djaq see Robin. Djaq smiled at Robin, her eyes looking weary and sad. "Tell me what hurts."

"My head, arms…my legs…" Robin told her. Honestly, his whole body hurt, but he didn't want to seem too weak in front of his gang.

"And I'm sure your throat is pretty dry, considering the way you're talking." Djaq pointed out. Robin could only nod.

Robin's head began to fall to his chest. He was so tired. He mumbled about being sleepy, which Djaq nodded her head to and backed away from the window. His eyes closed, sleep taking him over.

RHRHRHRHRHRHRH

Samuel walked through the front gate into Nottingham, awkwardly smiling to the guard on his left. He walked through the little town inside, eyes darting between each person. He expected somebody to jump out at him at any moment, ready to confront him about helping Robin and taking him to the dungeons. His heart pounded as neared the gate into the castle's courtyard. Guards were standing on each side of the entrance, ready to question why people wanted to come in. What was he gonna tell them?

"Have a bead! Pretty, pretty beads!" Someone called to him. He nearly jumped in the air at someone talking to him. A woman jumped in front of him, nasty black teeth smiling at him. Her faded blue dress had multiple accessories on it, including scarves, necklaces, and different colored vests. Long, ratty black hair fell past her shoulders. In her hands were tons of necklaces of different colors. She held them in his face.

"No thank you." He said politely. He tried to move around her, but she stepped to the side, blocking his way.

"But you must. They are pretty beads, no?" Her eyes moved around, examining his form. "Unless, you have no money."

"I do not. Now please, excuse me." He backed up a little, looked at her oddly, and then walked around her. He started walking away, but someone grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" The woman grasped his arm firmly with unexpected strength. "Where are your parents?"

Samuel struggled against her, using his other arm to push her hand away. "They are home, waiting for my return."

The woman chuckled and put her hand through Samuel's hair. "Someone so young out and about. Come with me to my house, I'll take care of you." She ran her hand down his chest, down to right above his pants.

Samuel's eyes widened and he began to struggle against her harder. She now had both hands grasping him, making it impossible to escape. She started dragging him in the opposite direction of the castle. Samuel cried out for help, but everyone ignored his pleas, afraid to get into trouble by the guards. The guards seemed oblivious to what was happening.

The woman dragged Samuel into a small house, slamming the door behind her. She shoved him onto a small bed in the corner of the room. She threw her beads on the table and took off her scarves and vests. She nearly sprinted over to Samuel, jumping on the bed. He backed into the corner, his eyes wide with fear. She grabbed his arms and pinned him to the bed.

"It's been a long time." She smiled wickedly. "And you look fresh." She pulled his shirt off, leaving his chest bare. She started on his pants. Samuel closed his eyes, shaking in fear. But his pants were never pulled off though. He heard a thump and the weight of the woman on top of him was gone. He slowly opened one eye, then the other.

"It is okay. Get up." A tall black man stood over him, holding out a hand to help him up. He took it shakingly and slowly got up. The man handed him his shirt and he put it back on. The woman lied in the corner of the room unconscious.

"My name is Tuck, and I believe you have something for me." He held his hand out. He looked kind, not too old. He wore a grey robe with a brown rope around his waist.

"I don't have anything for you." The boy said honestly.

"Something for Marian, perhaps?" He hadn't moved his hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The boy said, lying now.

Tuck sighed and reached his hand into his pockets. He rummaged for a minute, and then pulled out something. He held it up to the boy's face.

"This is one of Robin's bracelets." He held a bracelet in his hand, letting it dangle in front of him. It was brown with some kind of marking on it.

"Are you part of his gang?" Samuel asked. He took the bracelet in his hand.

"Not yet." Tuck answered.

RHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRH

Gisborne lay across his bed, thinking of his lady mistress, or his future mistress, Marian. He smiled to himself, thinking of her beauty and elegance. The way she moved, her gracefulness as she took each step. The way she smiled at him, hopefully thinking of him too. And whenever she talked, oh, the sweetness of the words that escaped her lips…

"Sir Guy of Gisborne?" A loud knock along with a raspy voice came from the front door. Gisborne quickly stood and crossed the distance of the room to the door. He opened it, scowling at the man in front of him.

"What do you want?" Gisborne hissed through his teeth. He wasn't decent at the time, and he certainly wasn't looking his best. He hadn't planned on anybody disturbing him this late, except for Marian, whom he had written to to meet him here for dinner. He was minutes away from getting up to get presentable for the Lady, when the loud knock had interrupted him from his daydreams.

"A…a letter, sir." The shaky man spit out. "Though, I don't know…fro…from whom." He held out his hand, letter placed in it, to Gisborne. Gisborne snatched it from him.

"From Marian I presume." Gisborne smiled. He flipped the parchment over, hoping to find a signature. When he didn't, he scowled again. "You are dismissed." He said to the nervous servant boy. The boy nodded and trotted off down the hall, glad to leave the grumpy Sir.

Gisborne walked over to his writing desk and sat down, placing the parchment in front of him. He carefully opened it, not wanting to rip something that might just as well be from Marian. He scanned the beginning, and sighed. It wasn't from Marian. It read, in scribbled, hurried letters,

_Gisborne,_

_Meet me as soon as you get this. Come alone, talk to nobody, and kill anybody who asks where you're going._

_Sherriff_

Gisborne slapped the table; he was most certainly not in the mood for a chat with the Sherriff. He threw the letter to the side as he got up and walked over to his closet. He quickly got dressed and hurried out the door.

As he made his way to the upper corridor, someone came around the corner, nearly bumping into him.

"Watch where you're…" Gisborne stopped. "Marian, my apologies." He smiled at the Lady, who was looking rather nice. She smiled up at him.

"No, excuse me. I shouldn't have been walking so fast. I was just on my way to…"

"Meet me? Although the time was later, I am still not able to have dinner with you. With all of the regret, I have business to take care of." He gently picked up her hand and kissed it, looking up at her with gleaming eyes and a smiling face.

"Oh, um, dinner?" Marian said unsurely. Then, she remembered the letter she had received and thrown away just as quickly. "Ah, yes, I was just on my way. But it's a shame it must be cancelled."

"Yes, indeed it is. Maybe a rescheduling then. Tomorrow night?" He still held her hand.

"I will see, what with all of my studies." She smiled at him one last time before kissing him on the cheek and hurrying off. Gisborne turned quickly at her sudden disappearance, but shook I off and continued down the hall.

He made his way to the door leading to the Sherriff's room, knocking on it as soon as he stepped up to it.

"Enter." A voice from the other side came. Gisborne slowly opened the door, stepping in and placing his hands in front of him.

"Ah, Gisborne, I wasn't expecting you." The Sherriff said, smiling to himself. He sat in his chair, legs crossed on top of his desk. He had his hands folded in his lap, as if he were just thinking the moment before someone had interrupted him.

"Your letter." Gisborne muttered. He hated when the Sherriff did stuff like this. It was childish and immature.

The Sherriff quickly got to his feet. "Shhh now Gisborne, we don't want anybody hearing you." He quickly stepped around the desk and went to the open window. He shut the curtains and continued to the next window, doing the same thing.

"Now I summoned you here for a reason." He said as he finished closing the last curtain. He walked over to Gisborne, getting into his face. He whispered, "It's about Robin."

Gisborne quickly stepped away from the Sherriff. "Sherriff, I have him. Just before you got back, he's in Locksley."

"Yes, yes. I know." The Sherriff said as he walked back to his desk. "And I know what you've done." He sat down. "And I'm quite impressed." He smiled as he slid his hand into his robe.

Gisborne couldn't help but smile. Finally, the Sherriff recognized something he did. Maybe, just maybe, the Sherriff would finally make him a Lord.

"But", the Sherriff continued, "While I was away, I found something. Well, someone rather then something."

"But I thought you were gone to visit your sister." Gisborne asked, knowing fully well that he hadn't left for that. The Sherriff never visited family, let alone his sister. He knew the Sherriff was up to something.

"Oh shut it Gisborne, me and you both know fully well I didn't go see her." The Sherriff said. "I went to see an old friend, a Sherriff actually."

"Yes? And?" Gisborne was getting irritated now.

"Patience is virtue Gisborne." The Sherriff smiled, his yellow teeth shining. "Anyways, my friend owns a pretty large land, containing well over two hundred people. And to have such a large amount of lives to watch out for, it must be difficult. When I asked what his secret was, he simply smiled and said, 'magic'." The Sherriff finally pulled his hand out of his robe, his hand enclosed around something.

"Magic?" Gisborne scoffed. "There's no such thing."

"Oh, but there is, Gisborne." The Sherriff said. "Though in the smallest package." He got up and paced over to the window. "At first, I didn't believe my friend, but when he showed me, well, that was just a little too much for me. You see, in his land, population grows rapidly. It seems like every day more people show up for a home, some land, a little bit of food. But he doesn't have enough, at least not for everybody." Now the Sherriff was opening his hand, letting Gisborne see what it contained.

"A bug?" Gisborne laughed harshly. "That's not magic, it's obscene."

"Oh, Gisborne, don't laugh." The Sherriff said with a serious face. "This thing is capable of everything. When I asked how this tiny creature did the trick, he said, 'it kills them.'"

"So it's a tick, or a spider. Certainly not magic." Gisborne was getting really ticked off now.

"Oh, now. It does way more. It can travel into your system, by any entrance way, and make you…" The Sherriff paused, turning his head sideways, "lose yourself."

"In what way?" Gisborne asked.

"In a way of mind, than body." The Sherriff sat back in his seat, and Gisborne sat across from him. He was now interested, and leaned in close.

"When the bug enters your system, its toxicities run through your body, leaving only minor side effects at first." He set the bug in a small box, closing the lid securely. "Nausea, aches in your body. But then, bruises appear, along with scratches from nowhere. After a while, you slowly forget everything. Your friends, family, your own name." The Sherriff stopped here, seeing if Gisborne was interested.

"Keep going." Gisborne urged. He like where this was going.

The Sherriff smiled. "Maybe, let's say a few days later, you start to cough up blood. And not just small amounts, but enough to make you faint. Around the same time, you begin to feel weaker by the hour, losing all control of your muscles…."

"Wait, all controls? So you can't move what so ever?" Gisborne interrupted him.

The Sherriff's smile widened. He nodded his head. "And it gets better. The last stage, well, I'd better not say." The Sherriff picked up a piece of parchment, as if to begin working on something.

"No," Gisborne grabbed the Sherriff's arm, "tell me."

The Sherriff put the paper down, leaned in close, and whispered, "Death." He backed up, folding his hands across his chest again. "And of course, there are other symptoms. Deafness, blindness, basically your living hell." He grinned as he saw light shine in Gisborne's eyes. He then frowned. "Although, not all of the side effects happen. A few choice will make it to him." He then smiled. "Though death is always the outcome."

"When do we give it to him?" Gisborne asked hurriedly.

"Very soon, but I have other news you may not enjoy."

"Like what?"

"I'm letting him go after we give it to him."

Gisborne thought he had heard wrong, but then realized he didn't. He quickly got to his feet and looked angrily at the Sherriff. "WHAT? After all we've put him through? Just let him GO?" He banged his fists on the desk with his last word.

"Now, now Gisborne." The Sherriff said, unphased by the sudden outburst. "He will already be dying."

"But if there's a cure. What if they find it?" Gisborne said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, there's not one. I'm sure of it." Sherriff said. "Let's let Robin spend his last miserable days with his gang, it doesn't matter really. Once he's dead, they'll have nowhere to go, nothing to do. We'll find them, capture them, and then kill them too."

"So we're letting them go too?" Gisborne was past angry.

"Well won't it look a little suspicious if we just let the thief go? Think Gisborne!" The Sherriff said. "Besides, I don't want to be the one cleaning up his puke, let alone look at him." He made a disgusted face.

Gisborne didn't say anything.

"Speechless Gisborne?" The Sherriff asked. "No matter, I'll be the one hand delivering this little fellow to him." He patted Gisborne on the back, reached for his box, and quickly left the room. Gisborne followed right after him, a smile tracing across his lips.

"Finally."


	4. Chapter 4

"Much," Robin said, annoyed with his friend's constant badgering, "I am fine. A little thirsty, but fine." He and Much had been arguing over Robin's health, since Robin had been complaining about pain earlier. Robin had stated it was only because he was tired, and he proved to be right after his long rest. Though, being tied to a post without any movement for the past few days does take its effects on a person.

"You can't be." Much said. "You nearly died earlier, you're dehydrated, and you HAVE to have splinters by now!" Although Much looked serious, Robin couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"All of that may be true, but splinters have to be the least of my worries right now." Robin said jokingly. Just then, Little John showed his face.

"Hey Robin, how are you doing?" John asked with concern. Robin had only been awake for a few hours, and had spent every minute of them talking to Much. He had barely heard from the others.

"Pretty good, considering the…" Robin looked down at the post, "circumstances."

"Well don't you worry. Help is on the way." Little John said.

"I trust Marian will make the right plan." Robin confirmed. Much had told him everything, including sending the young boy with the letter to Marian.

"I don't know, he was pretty young." Allan said, coming into view. He placed a hand on Little John's shoulder. "And if it doesn't make it, then we'll always have Little John here to knock down the wall and plow through the guards." He laughed at his own joke. Little John started to laugh, then quickly and harshly pushed Allan to the ground, a grim expression on his face now.

"Not funny." He growled. Robin laughed again, and Much backed away from the scene. Right then Will came up.

"What happened here?" Will said, looking down at Allan, who was grumbling to himself as he pulled himself together and got up. He sauntered away, leaving Little John, Will, and Robin.

"Nothing." Robin said, smiling.

"Anyways, did Much tell you about the guards?" He asked Robin.

"What about them?"

"They leave the post every night for about ten minutes, to switch out and all that stuff." Will stated. He looked around to see if anybody had heard him. All of the guards were at least fifty feet away, giving them enough room to talk. "I believe we can use that to our advantage when Marian comes."

"Good thinking Will, we'll think of a plan when we…we…" Robin stopped, a coughing fit overcoming him. It soon died out, too much pain for that dry of a throat.

"Robin? Are you okay?" Will asked, worry etched in his features. Robin nodded his head. He closed his eyes, resting for a moment, when the sound of hooves sounded in the distance. Robin turned his head, just in time to see not only Gisborne on horseback, but the Sherriff as well, grinning at the scene in front of him.

He saw them stop, dismount, and call all of the guards over to him. He talked to them for a while, and some of it seemed to be arguing. Finally, Robin heard the Sherriff yell, and the talking dimmed down. The Sherriff said one last thing, than started to walk over to him, guards following closely behind.

"When'd he get back?" Allan asked, moving in between John and Will. His eyebrows furrowed into worry, not common for a man like him. Little John looked at Robin with the same expression. "He's come in place of Gisborne, just our luck."

"What else could they possibly do to us?" Allan asked. With what little Robin could see, Allan's eyes moved incoherently, back and forth between Robin and the seducing men who were making their way over to them. Though no one else said anything to his question, dozens of answers ran through Robin's mind. The last one that blazed by in his brain, just as the Sherriff stopped in front of him, was death.

"Robin." The Sherriff said, in a mocking tone. He bowed, bent over with his right hand on his stomach. He then turned around and looked at the five faces staring back at him. "And his faithful followers." He bowed again. He turned back to Robin, who had a scowl written in his features.

"What do you want Vaisey?" Robin didn't sound threatening, merely curious, as if he were a past friend.

"Actually, the real question is, what do YOU want?" The Sherriff sounded confident, arrogance floating in the air around him. As if he knew something Robin didn't, like he had an offer Robin couldn't resist.

"Oh, I don't know. For the villagers to get food, money, a decent life." Robin paused there, changing his pleasant expression to an annoyed one. "Oh, and how about you let us go?"

There was a short awkward pause. Robin expected for the Sherriff to come back with a cocky comment, a threat, or just plain out slap him. But he didn't. He stood there, smiling at Robin, occasionally looking back at the barn, at the confused and worried faces, just as Robin's face looked. Even the guards shifted uncomfortably, and Gisborne scanned his eyes in between the outlaws and the Sherriff, seemingly quite uncomfortable with the situation. Though, as Robin, waiting for an answer, looked over at Gisborne, he caught a glimpse of success and accomplishment in his eyes. A look of pride and joy, though Robin couldn't figure out why.

"Fine." The Sherriff finally said. He motioned towards the guards. They came up to Robin and started untying his wrists and ankles.

"Wa…wait a minute." Robin spoke, confused of what was going on. "What're you doing?"

"Didn't you just ask to be free?" The Sherriff asked. He was calm, as if letting Robin go was like giving a good friend permission to eat his loaf of bread. "You asked, and you received."

"So, you're just letting us go? Like we never did anything?" Allan spoke up from behind.

The Sherriff spun around. "Oh, I'll always remember what you did." He nodded pleasantly at Allan, then turned back. "I'll remember what all of you did. Stealing from me, embarrassing me, betraying your king, la de da de da." He paused. "But I'm going to forget that, all of it."

"There has to be a catch, a reason." Robin said. The guards finally finished untying him, and Robin carefully landed on his feet. He started to rub his wrists, they were raw and sore after being tied up for so long. He secretly, without anybody noticing, wiggled his toes in the dirt. It felt good to have his feet on the ground again.

"There is, actually." The Sherriff said. He nudged over to Robin and laid a hand on his shoulder. "The reason? Well, it's not worth telling really." The Sherriff seemed nervous now. He took his hand off of Robin's shoulder and backed away.

"The King!" Much exclaimed from the background. "King Richard heard of what was happening!" Much laughed with pleasure.

"Ah, well, that may be true, but I still loathe the lot of you." The Sherriff snarled at them. "I have the right mind to just ignore his orders and hang you all."

"But you can't." Much said, but he wasn't in the barn anymore. The guards had just let them out, and they came around to the other side. Much and Allan had gleeful expressions, but the others seemed nervous and worried.

"Do you wish to bet on that?" Gisborne was suddenly at Much's side. He laid a firm grasp on Much's shoulder, gripping tightly. Much whimpered.

"Anyways," The Sherriff continued, "You're all free to go, now leave." He motioned his arms towards the forest.

"But it still doesn't make sense." Will said. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. "It's just not like you to just…let us go." He was standing beside Little John. A guard had just handed him his weapons, an axe and three knives. "Thanks." He said, though it felt odd for a guard of Vaisey's giving him actual weapons, without trying to fight him.

"Oh, don't worry." The Sherriff said. "Next time I catch you all stealing and disobeying, I'm hanging you an hour later." He spun on his heel, heading in the opposite direction of the woods. The guards, having finished handing everybody's weapons back, followed after him. A discerned looking Gisborne took one last look at Robin, then headed off the same way.

"And don't think you're totally free." The Sherriff called over his shoulder. "You're still outlaws, and we're still searching for you." He continued to his horse.

Robin, having been blown away by the sudden release, looked at his friends. They looked back at him with worried glances. They watched as their had been captors mounted their horses. They started to leave, but right before the Sherriff kicked his obviously aggravated horse, he looked back at Robin.

"Don't go getting yourself killed before I have the pleasure of doing it myself." He called. With that, he smiled and took off, leaving behind baffled free men.

Everyone looked towards Robin, watching him as he watched in disbelief as they rode off. He shifted awkwardly, trying to figure out why this had all just happened. Hadn't the Sherriff's goal in life been to capture and kill Robin Hood, to rid the forest and state of him? If so, why had he just let him go?

"Um, Robin?" Much called. Robin turned his head towards him. "What do we do now?" They all looked confused. They were obviously looking at him for support, for answers, for a plan. For the past few days they had been through hell. Having barely enough food and water, no warm blankets, and having to watch as their trusted guide got beaten. It had to be painful, though not as much as it was to Robin. He felt grateful to them, for being strong. For standing by him when he was weak. Much, Allan, Will, Little John, and Djaq. All faithful friends. A smile traced across Robin's lips. He didn't understand while all of this had happened. He also didn't understand how King Richard had found out, but he trusted in his heart that it was all God's doing. It was his faith and belief that got Robin and his friends out of this mess, and it was that same faith and belief that would keep them out of it. Robin walked over to his gang, who waited impatiently for his answer. He glanced at each of them, then looked towards the forest.

"Let's go home."

RHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRH

Tuck, having just sent the little boy with a kind woman to stay the night, briskly trotted towards Nottingham's only entrance and exit. He wanted to get to Robin as fast as he could, before anything too fearful happened. Although he had no idea what the outlaw looked like, he would probably have no trouble finding him. The only thing was…..where was Locksley?

Tuck stopped trotting and slowed down to a fast walk. He looked around at the people surrounding him. They're were old and young men at work at carpentry and blacksmithing, women hanging clothes on clothes lines, and children swerving in between the crowd and dashing in and out of alleyways. He finally stopped near a younger woman, of about thirty, who was kneeling down in front of what looked like to be her child. They both had the same sandy blonde hair, and skin as light as the winter's snow. He gently tapped the woman's shoulder, who unexpectedly whipped around, ready to protect her child.

"Pardon me, I did not wish to frighten you." Tuck said gently and softly. The kid stared up at him with huge eyes, before hugging his mother and running off with the other children. The woman, seeing his robe and necklace cross, said, "Oh, it's quite alright, Friar." She looked back at her child who was long gone, then looked back at him. "May I help you?"

"Why, yes, you can." Tuck said pleasantly. "I'm looking for a village by the name of Locksley." He smiled at her, trying to seem calm, though he was shaking on the inside. He HAD to get to them.

"Oh, it's just over to the north. Only about ten miles, a day's journey on foot, half of that on horseback." She nodded her head in the direction. Tuck bowed, showing his appreciation. She then looked around quickly, and leaned her head in close to him. "You know, Robin of Locksley is being held there, along with the other thieves." She leaned back, hoping for a gasp or a shocked expression. But she didn't get one. Tuck merely said, "Oh?" and quickly walked away. He had no interest in hearing what he already knew.

RHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRH

Robin smiled as he led his group into the woods, stepping lightly over rocks and roots. It was getting to be about evening, and he wanted to get back to the camp before dark. His reason? He was hoping Much would cook up something he himself caught. He was starving, and a lean rabbit or even a dark meat deer would fill his empty stomach. After that, some water and a good night's rest. That was all he needed right now, the simple things.

"I still can't believe it!" Much exclaimed. "To think that he actually let us go." Much started humming as he walked, a joyful tune to match his joyful mood.

"It was a miracle." Robin agreed. He watched as blue bird rushed past him, flying off into the open sky above the darkening forest. He liked to think that thinking positive was the best way to go, but then Will spoke up.

"I think it's a trap."

Robin came to a julting halt, along with everybody else. He turned around to face Will.

"Why do you say that?" Robin was curious, what could Will suspect? Robin had gone through every trap it could've been, and none of them made sense.

"I don't know, it's just…not normal for him." Will said, feeling everybody's eyes on him. He nervously shifted his weight to the right.

"You heard it yourself, the king let us go." Allan said. "He heard what was happening and he didn't like it." Allan sat down a rock, resting his legs.

"But that's just it!" Will said. "How did he find out?"

"I'm sure someone traveled to get to him." Much said. "I mean, it's only about…a month's journey."

"And he's been stalking us down for what, a year now?" Allan added.

"I don't know though…" Will said. He looked down, trying to think. He finally looked up and said, "Never mind, let's just get back to camp."

"Great! I'm starving!" Allan agreed. They started their pace back to camp again.

"You're starving? What about Robin?" Djaq said. "At least we've eaten." She went up beside Robin and patted his back. "He's been through a lot, and I think Allan should go hunting instead."

"Thank you Djaq, but I believe I can manage." Robin turned down the offer. "I'm not as weak as I seem. Only sore, and a little hungry." He returned the pat, and looked forward. They were almost back to camp, and Robin could already smell the rabbit cooking over the warm fire. Will's thinking had brought him down, but Robin decided to put out of his mind until morning. Then, he would look further into what had happened. Certainly this couldn't be a trick, an evil plot that had formed in the Sherriff's mind. It's not impossible for the King to receive news about stuff like this, though the chances were slim. If it was an evil scheme to kill Robin or his gang, it wasn't obvious of what it was.

"Hey, Robin." Little John said. He moved up to him, clacking his staff against the dirt each time he took a step. He brought his hand up to Robin's neck, flicked it, then put both hands on his support.

"There was a tick."


	5. Chapter 5

The deer grazed lazily, without a care in the world. Its antlers shown sturdy in the evening sun. Each branch coming from the rack showed the deer's rank in its own society. Scuff marks and dents in the rack showing great authority and charge. The way its muscles worked as the deer took a step gave the impression of how strong it was. This was the way Robin liked them, thick and strong. The stronger ones gave off more meat, while the others gave barely enough for half of the gang. He had thought about just going after the hare he had seen moments ago, but when he saw the beauty that was now before him, he had had a second thought. His gang deserved it, he deserved it.

The only problem was, would he be able to carry it back? Not eating for a few days took your energy away, though the thought of eating soon was overpowering his negative thoughts. Robin thought this as he pulled the string on his bow back, arrow ready to fly. A few more moments and the deer would be gone; Robin would have to be quick. He took a step forward, bare feet crunching the leaves below him. That was a mistake. The deer lifted its head, ears twitching as it looked around for the intruder. Robin held his breath, praying for it not to leap away. The deer obviously decided it was nothing, and put its head back to the ground to finish what it was eating. Robin let his breath out slowly, sighing in relief.

"That's it, nothing but the wind." Robin whispered to the deer, knowing fully well that it couldn't hear him. He cocked his bow to the left a little, just the right angle. He pulled back just an inch more, ready to shoot. He focused in on the soon to be dinner, released the string, and watched as the arrow landed perfectly in place. The deer, caught off guard, stumbled, than fell to the ground.

Robin ran over to the thrashing deer. He got down on his knees and gently pulled the arrow out, careful not to put the deer in much more pain. He placed his hands on the deer's head and got close to its face. Its eyes were dancing wildly in their sockets, trying to understand what had just happened. Its mouth opened and closed several times, as if he could talk and trying to, but couldn't. Robin closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"Hear His words He has spoken before. Today, you shall enter His kingdom, and be with Him Paradise."

Robin spoke this every time he killed his prey, for he knew they suffered much. Robin watched as the deer closed its eyes and stopped breathing. He stroked its fur, feeling oddly guilty for this kill. He had never felt this way, and feeling it now made him queasy. He shook it off, though it still bothered him in the back of his mind, and picked the deer up, throwing it over his shoulders. He began walking back; guiltily wishing he was back at camp and Much was hunting.

His head began to hurt as he walked, and his muscled began to ache out of nowhere. He felt suddenly tired, more so then he was before. His breathing became ragged and his pace got slower. His shoulders began to feel like they were going to collapse, and as Robin took another step, his whole body fell to the ground.

Ashdeer (Knighting Hall)

Anne wrote hurriedly on the piece of parchment in front of her. She had to hurry if she wanted to leave before her father's council meeting was finished. She didn't want him to ask questions, or worse, try to stop her. She turned her head to the door, eyes landing on the lock that held the wood securely to the frame. She would sneak out the window. Though the letter was a full out lie, she did not want guards or the stable hands to see her. She would leave without anybody's knowing, and they would believe she had left while everyone's heads were turned. They wouldn't know she had snuck out, or that she wasn't going to the place she had designated in the letter.

Anne ended her letter with a Love, Anne, and scanned it once before sealing it. It read,

Father,

A friend of mine sent me a letter this day that her brother has died. Him being the last relative of hers, she is now without a family. She asked for my presence to keep her well company, and I obliged to come. I know this is of short notice, but she needs me now more than ever. I will return in a few short days, no longer. I will send a messenger with news of my arrival in her estate. Please, do not fret, I promise for my return.

Love, Anne

After reading it a second time, Anne folded the parchment and sealed it with hot liquid, stamping it with her father's mark. She held it, flipping it over in her hands, weighing out the decisions and outcomes of this letter. So much had made her write this, out of feelings for others. Had it only been two days ago she had heard? Of course it was, two days ago was the day her Father had met with another Sherriff, though the name slipped her tongue.

Anne had been in her room, practicing her studies by herself, when she had heard a yell down the hall. Startled by it, she decided to discover where it had come from. She had found herself outside of her father's Main Room, where he met with important people like dukes, lords, and in this case, sheriffs. She had heard the whole conversation, or at least the part up to where she had pressed her ear to the door.

"A tick?" A scratchy yet strong voice spoke from the other side.

"Not just a tick, but something much more than that." Her father.

"How so?"

At this point her father was telling this Sherriff of the terrible effects the bug has on people. Anne had turned her head, not wanting to hear. She had heard it all before, when her uncle had told her everything. She didn't want to hear it again. When he was finished, Anne pressed her ear back against the wood again.

"Why are you telling me this?" The Sherriff had asked, sounding nervous yet joyful.

"Tell me Vaisey; is there not a constant nuisance in your land? Someone always trying to screw up your plans, always trying to screw up you? Perhaps someone who's an outlaw, against you. Someone who has betrayed their king?"

There had been a pause, then, "Robin Hood." The voice was low now as it had whispered the name.

Anne hadn't stayed for the rest of the conversation; she knew all she had to know. She had run back to her room, already thinking of what to do. The Sherriff had come to visit her father only two days before that day she heard them talking. Ever since her father had stolen the evil bug from her, he had been using it only for evil. Sending it into villages, causing so many deaths just because of the rising population. She had prayed that the death wisher wouldn't make it farther than where she lived, but she knew her prayer was destroyed when the Sherriff showed up. She didn't understand why her father cared for other lands, why he cared for Robin Hood.

Anne had heard of Robin through many people, even though he worked nowhere near here. Word of his bravery had spread fast, though only whispers from household to household, afraid of certain people hearing. She knew he was fighting for King Richard, and fighting for his people, who his Sherriff was quickly destroying. She dreamed of the day she could visit him; learn from him, so she could fight for her people here, from her father.

Now she might not get that chance. Soon, the tick's venom would be spreading through his blood, slowly killing him.

Anne shook her head to get the bad thoughts out and stood up. She left the letter on the desk, her father or tutor would surely see it there. She grabbed her satchel of clothes and walked over to the window. She looked down at the alley below her. There was nobody there; all of the guards were up front. She wouldn't have any trouble getting out of the walls. Then, she noticed the height. She was at least two staircases up.

"No problem." Anne said to herself, smiling. "Nothing a little mid air can't fix." She carefully got onto the window sill, legs dangling outside. She put the satchel around her waist, careful to make it tight so it wouldn't fall of. She pushed her arms against the sides of the frame, steadying herself. As she pushed her arms tighter, she lifted herself off of the side. When she was completely off, she let her arms go to her side. She closed her eyes, concentrating on staying up. Slowly, she started going down. Her heart pounded, for she had only done this twice before. Though, she felt like a feather each time she had. She finally felt the tips of her toes hit the stone, and she opened her eyes. As her feet became flat on the ground, she heard a voice from around the corner.

"Not now." She said to herself as she quickly ran around the opposite corner, just as a guard came around the other.

Sherwood Forest

Tuck walked idly through the woods in search of a camp. He had arrived in Locksley only a day ago, hoping to find Robin and save him. But after finding nobody of the sort, and hearing that he had been set free, Tuck knew he had to find him. He had asked an elderly woman if she had the slightest clue where he was.

"I saw him and the others run in the forest, right over there." She had pointed to a section of the woods where it cut off, making room for a trail. He had smiled and thanked her, nodding his head in appreciation. It was then he knew that Robin dwelled in the woods, along with his "band" of outlaws. Although he didn't have a clue where in the forest he had placed his camp, he was determined to find it.

Tuck half walked and half jogged through the thick brush. He wasn't really in a hurry, but he didn't want to spend forever in the forest alone without food or water. Although he was a genius at most things like healing, cooking, reading, and writing, he hadn't the slightest idea how to hunt.

As Tuck kept moving, he thought back of how he heard of Robin Hood. Through his father he had heard, and a distant friend. They talked of him constantly, of his bravery and courage. His father had been friends with Robin's father as children, but moved back to Tuck's homeland when he himself was born. Tuck's mother was weary of leaving, and while on the ship back, she had died of sickness. Grieving, Tuck's father had sent a letter to Robin's father of their loss. They wrote constantly back and forth; and when Tuck was fifteen, his father had received word that Robin was born. Of course, the two children never had a clue of the other, for they didn't know what their fathers were doing. Now, just a year or two ago, his father had again received news, but it was not good. Robin's father had died. That was when his father started telling him everything. He told of how Robin was at war in the Holy Land, and how he was back now. Now, Robin was an outlaw, but only in the eyes of evil. To the others, he was their savior, taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Now, Tuck wanted to join his cause, even though it wasn't his home country. After everything his father had told him, he wanted to honor his dead father, who died just a few weeks ago.

Just as Tuck took another step, he saw something in the far distance. At first it seemed to be a dead animal, but as he got closer, he saw it to be a breathing man. He sat against a tree, eyes closed. His breathing was ragged and sweat poured down in face. He was clutching his right shoulder with his left hand. Tuck bent down, getting face to face with him. He looked at his chest, and a necklace just like his own was around his neck; though the marking was just a little different, with a red dot on the tip of the arrow.

"Ah, my friend, Robin." Just as he spoke, Robin's eyes flung open, caught off guard.

"Who are…you?" Robin tried to sound strong and brave, but his gasping was making him sound weak and scared. He made to move forward and up, taking his left hand from his shoulder to grab his bow. But the older man stopped him, placing both of his hands on Robin's arms.

"I am not a foe, but a friend." Robin looked in his eyes, looking for trust. When he saw the kind eyes that looked back at him, he stopped struggling and laid back against the trunk of the tree, letting his bow go and bring his hand back to his shoulder.

"Most times I wouldn't believe you until you proved yourself, but at this point in time, I have no choice." Robin said. The man was now sitting in front of him, crossed leg. "But that does not mean I don't want you to…explain…yourself." A pain caught him off guard in his right shoulder, making him grit his teeth.

"And that I shall do." Tuck said. He took out his necklace and showed it to Robin. Robin took it from his hand and examined it.

"Where did you get this?" He flipped it in his hand, making sure it was exactly like the others.

"I will not say, but I will tell you why I was looking for you." Now Tuck told him everything he had learned about Robin and his gang. About his father, his friend, and Robin's own father. About the letters and Tuck's father's own death.

"My apologies for your father's death." Robin said, sounding weaker than before. "But I still don't understand why you're here."

"Only to honor my father," Tuck said, "And to help you win the war."

"And why would you want to help fight if it's not your homeland?" Robin closed his eyes again, a surge of pain tracing through his whole body.

"That does not matter right now." Tuck said, seeing Robin grimace. "What matters is you. What's wrong?"

Robin opened his eyes. "I have no idea. It just came out of nowhere when I was hunting." He closed his eyes back as his breathing got shallower. He coughed a few times before sighing. "I need to get back to camp. I have a friend who can help me."

"And I am here too, for your assistance." Tuck said. He took Robin's arms and lifted him up slowly, careful not to cause much more pain. When he was standing up completely, Tuck slung Robin's left arm over his shoulder. Robin's head fell to his chest, too heavy to lift up. He tried to stand up straight, but his weakness made him hang over, causing Tuck to use more of his strength to keep Robin up. Tuck put his right hand on Robin's back, giving him more support.

"Now where is your camp?" Tuck said.

"Just…over there. To the…North." Robin slurred. Standing cause him to get dizzy, and he wasn't sure he could keep consciousness much longer. Together they started walking. Robin dragged a little, but gave enough strength so that Tuck didn't have to completely carry him. Just before they started walking, Tuck had picked up Robin's bow and arrow satchel. Now they swayed freely on his left shoulder.

"Now, you know, I won't…have to…stay…if you don't want me too." Tuck said, grunting because of the extra weight. "I am here…to…help, and I only…offer…once."

Robin chuckled. "For what you've done so far, you are now an honorary…member…of... Robin Hood."


	6. Chapter 6

Much was getting impatient. His master had been gone for far too long, and the waiting was killing him. Robin never took this long for hunting. He always killed his prey in at least less than ten minutes then quickly came back. Much had tried to go out and find him, but Little John had stopped him.

"He'll be back, he's Robin." He had said. Much had tried to argue, but soon lost to the whole gang. Now, he sat by the entrance way to the camp, right where the ground lifted up to reveal Will's masterpiece. He sat on a large rock, elbows on knees and head on hands. He had been waiting for a good thirty minutes out there, and the sky was now getting ever so darker. He tapped his left foot repeatedly, obviously annoying a nearby family of squirrels. One of them, about ten feet away from him, chattered in Much's direction, as if yelling at him to stop.

"Oh, shut it." Much yelled. "Go eat your nuts." He spat at it, and out of nowhere, a nut hit him on the head. "Ah, stupid trees." Much mumbled. He got on his feet and peered through the trees. Not expecting to see anything Much turned back around. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large figure. He quickly turned back around to find out it was not one large figure, but two smaller ones.

"Master!" Much yelled. He smiled brightly as he jogged over to him. But seeing a stranger half carrying him and the pain in Robin's stance, his joy quickly turned into concern.

"Master!" This time his voice was filled with fear. He was now full out running to them. Just as he got to them, Robin fell to his knees, bringing the stranger down with him. Much came down beside him, bringing his hands to Robin's back.

"Robin, what's wrong?" He scanned over him, looking for any obvious injuries. Only seeing sweat and pain in his eyes, he looked at the other man. "What did you do to him?" His voice was now filled with anger and rage.

"I only found him lying against a tree. I seeked to help him, not injure him." The man said. Much, accepting what the man said, turned his attention back to Robin. He was far more concerned for his wellness then some strange man.

"Master, please tell me, what's wrong?" Robin had his hands against the earth, fingers gripping the dirt out of pure pain. He was panting for air and his eyes were shut closed. "Master?"

"I don't think he'll answer you, his pain seems to be far too great at this point." The older man said. Much looked up at him in confusion. "My name is Tuck. I am skilled in healing, so please, let's get him into proper surroundings." Much only nodded. Together they lifted Robin into their hands and slowly made their way to the entrance. Much, using one hand, lifted the anchor for the "door". The ground lifted, making an opening for them to get in.

"Right over there." Much said, nodding his head to a makeshift bed near another man. It was Will, who was working on carving Little John's staff. He sat with his back facing them.

"Will, Djaq!" Much called as they carried Robin. "John!" Djaq and John came running from around the corner, followed closely by Allan. Will quickly turned around to the urgent voice, quickly standing up as he saw their leader being carried.

"What has happened?" Djaq asked worriedly. She helped lower Robin onto his bed, quickly scanning him over.

"My God." Allan said. He and the others gathered around him, while Tuck backed away to make room for Robin's friends. Robin was now cradling his stomach and was shaking from an unknown coldness. His eyes were still tightly shut, though he wasn't unconscious.

"Who did it?" Little John said angrily. "I'm going to kill them." He turned around to Tuck, picking up his staff, which was lying on a tree trunk beside him. "Did you do this?" His eyes were glowing with fury. Just before Tuck could answer, another voice spoke up.

"Be kind to him." Robin said chokingly. "He…saved…my life." Little John whirled around to see Robin's eyes opened.

"Robin!" Much cried. He was on the other side of him, eyes never leaving his shaking form.

"Robin, what has happened?" Djaq said, still looking for an injury.

Robin shook his head. "I don't know." He closed his eyes again. The pain was too much.

"Do you know?" Djaq turned around to Tuck, who shook his head. Djaq sighed and turned back to Robin. "I do not know what's wrong with you." She placed a hand on Robin's forehead.

"I believe I can help." Tuck said, moving to the front of the mini crowd. "I have practiced for many years in healing." Djaq looked up at him with questioning eyes, but Tuck gave back the opposite expression, trusting eyes. Djaq finally nodded.

"Okay, good." She said, a little shaky because of the sight of her hurting friend. "Just, get me some wet cloth…"

"I'll get that." Will said before hurrying off to find some.

Djaq nodded her head. "I also need some of my medicine." She started to get up, but Tuck held up his hand.

"Tell me where it is and I will get it." Tuck said. Djaq looked doubtingly up at him. "I have used it all before."

Djaq sighed and nodded her head. "It's over there, in a red box." She pointed to where her bed was, right underneath it. As he went to get it she turned to Allan. "Can you get me something that smells strongly? It can be either bad or good." Allan nodded and ran off.

"What can I do?" Much asked nervously. He had one of Robin's hands in his, and was still staring at him.

"The best thing for you to do is to talk to him. He needs a good friend with him." Djaq said, smiling. Much nodded without even looking at her. She doubted he would even leave Robin's side, so of course she couldn't ask him to get anything. And it was true, Robin needed someone he was really close to, someone who could talk to him through his pain. Djaq looked up at John. "Can you get me some water?"

"Of course." John said calmly. He walked away, shocked at Robin's appearance. He had never seen him in this state, and he didn't want to see him like that again. As he brought back the water, he sat down on the trunk beside Djaq.

"I'm going to find who did this." John said, looking at her. Djaq looked back at him. "I'll go to Locksley, see if anybody saw anything or did something."

"I don't know…" Djaq started.

"I can't just sit here and watch him be like this." John said. "I have to help in some way." He and Djaq stared at each other for a few moments before Djaq put her hand on John's shoulder. "Don't be long." John nodded and stood up. He grabbed his staff and made his way out.

"Where'd John go?" Allan asked as he came back with a weird looking plant. He had his hand over his mouth and nose, blocking off the horrible odor. He handed it to Djaq who placed it beside her.

"Locksley, trying to find something or someone that did this." She said. Will came over with several wet cloths. Djaq ripped open Robin's shirt to reveal it soaking wet. She tore it off and threw it to the side, replacing it with some of the cloth. She placed the others on his brow and arms.

"You think someone might have done this to him?" Will asked.

"You would never know, Robin being who he is." Tuck said as he walked up to them. He set the red box beside the bed.

"And how do you know who Robin is?" Allan asked. "Who are you anyways?" He leaned against a tree, arms crossed.

"My name is Tuck, and I know Robin from several stories." Tuck said. "But we will save those for later. Right now Robin is my priority." He leaned down beside Djaq, who was grabbing something from her box.

"Ah, nectalipto." Tuck said. "You believe he has something wrong internally, maybe near his abdomen?" He asked as she unscrewed the black bottle. Inside was a gooey liquid, thick with a strong odor.

"I believe it is internally; but I cannot figure out where." She opened Robin's mouth and poured some in. He gagged on it first, than reluctantly swallowed it.

"That's it, just swallow." Djaq said soothingly. Robin opened his eyes for a moment with a grateful look, than closed them again.

"What does that mean?" Much looked up. "He is not dying, is he?" Much looked back at Robin and squeezed his hand tightly.

"There are many injuries inside that can happen, and none of them be fatal." Tuck said reassuringly. "Robin could have anything, a disease, sickness, internal injury, or something inside his system."

"Like poison?" Will asked.

"It is possible." He said.

Everyone went quiet. They couldn't think of a time anyone could have put poison in Robin. They had seen him almost all of the time they were captured. No one had injected anything into him, or even given him something to eat or drink. Will sat down on the ground and watched as Djaq gave Robin some water, gently tipping the cup. He knew something was wrong when they were set free. It just wasn't like Vaisey to do that. There was always a catch. Now, all he had to do was think of what that catch was.

"I think we all need to rest." Djaq finally said. They had been sitting there for a good two hours, and everybody seemed restless. Djaq and Tuck had been probing over his body, feeling for any injuries. After finding none, they had started going through poisons and harmful substances out loud to each other. They had come up with two possible ones, but still they didn't know. It was far too early to tell. Now, Robin was asleep, and the others were almost too.

"I agree." Allan said, yawning. He had been watching impatiently. He was angry that the only two physicians weren't coming up with anything. He didn't know why though, he knew it wasn't their fault. He just had so much anger about Robin's pain, that he had to blame it on somebody. And who else then the people who were trying to help him? Just wait till John gets back with news about who did this, Allan thought, I'm going to literally rip them to shreds.

Allan and Will made their way to their beds and lay down, Allan turning his back on Robin and Will lying on his side to face him. Djaq wet the rags one more time and placed them back on his body before covering him with a blanket. She showed Tuck to John's bed, offering it to him until Little John got back.

"He probably won't be back anytime tonight." She said. Tuck nodded appreciatively and lay down. She walked back over to Robin, about to tell Much to go to bed. But she found him snoring, leaning against the side of Robin's bed. He still had Robin's hand in his. Djaq decided to leave him be and made her way to her bed. She lay down and shifted over to her side, so she could face Robin. She was worried about him, mainly because she didn't know what was wrong with him. She knew if she didn't find out, he might die. She couldn't even think about what would happen to the gang if he did, what would happen to her. He had become her role model of some sort. For if she was a child, she would have wanted to grown up to be like him. One tear rolled down her cheek.

"It's okay." Will said out of nowhere from his bed, to no one in particular. "He's going to be fine." He said it for reassurance to everybody. He knew they all needed it.

Tuck smiled to himself. "He is strong."

"He is Robin Hood." Allan called out matter of factly.

Djaq, now smiling because of the other's positive attitudes, said, "We are Robin Hood."

Allan, Will, and Tuck all were smiling now. "We are Robin Hood."

Somewhere in between Ashdeer and Nottingham

Anne glided easily through the thick and dense forest, keeping an eye out for any unwanted by passers. Her satchel hung loosely on her shoulder, thumping her back each time she took a step. Her cotton blue dress already smelled and was gathering large stains of dirt and food. Her sandals were beginning to break; the latches of them were ripping from the wear of them. She could tell her hair was a mess just by feeling it. It was enlaced with tangles and leaves, making her appear as a savage. Of course, she could've easily cleaned her clothes or stolen some others. But this appearance made people who passed by want nothing to do with her; just the way she wanted it. She couldn't chance somebody recognizing her, for they might take her home.

She had been traveling for a good two days, stopping to sleep when needed, eating when she felt hungry, and asking for directions when she got lost. She would sleep under trees, hoping no unwelcomed visitor would come up to her. When she was hungry she would use a bow she had made to capture something. She hadn't known how to hunt before, but with her special gift she really didn't need to know. All she had to do was pull back on the string, arrow fitting nicely in between her index and middle finger, and let go. Magic would do the rest.

Anne had grown up a mystery. When she was only four she had learned that her mother was different, and so was she. When Anne had asked what that meant, her mother had sat her down in the dining place to talk to her. She had made sure that no one would be listening, and at first Anna hadn't known why. But now, she did. Her mother had started off telling her about her childhood. At first it was stuff about games she played, her chores, and her annoying brothers. Then, she started telling the unbelievable. When her mother was four, just like she had been, her father had told her she was special, just like she was telling Anne now. He had told her about special powers she had, and what she was capable of doing. Of course, he had told her to use them only for good, and not for evil. She had lots of questions just like Anne had. Some of them were 'What are the powers?' and 'How did I get them?'

"All in good time." Anne's mother had laughed, calming the little girl who was bouncing in her seat. "We will answer one question at a time."

The little girl stopped bouncing and placed her elbows on the table. She started kicking her feet underneath from excitement. "Okay, first one," She had looked up to her mother with fulfilling eyes, "What are my powers?"

"Oh, there are so many of them." Her mother had winked at her, smiling with glee. "Let's see. You can…read minds…"

"But, momma, what does that mean?" Anne had interrupted.

"It means you can hear what other people are thinking." Her mother had answered, tapping her head with her finger. "Everything."

"But how?"

"Oh, my child. I am glad you asked." Her mother got up from her chair and walked to a table in the left corner of them room. On it laid a small brown book, seemingly old and dainty. She picked it up ever so gently and walked back to Anne.

"This is a special book, just like you." Her mother smiled and poked Anne's chest when she said this. "It tells you how to do everything, every power and every spell."

"Spell?" Anne asked

"Yes, words you speak to do something." Her mother had said. "It's another gift. You can heal with those words."

"I can help the sick people mommy?"

"Yes dear, you can help all the sick people." She smiled and opened the book. "When you're older, you're going to read this often. It will help."

Anne fidgeted anxiously in her seat. "Tell me other powers mommy."

"Okay, okay." Her mother laughed. "Well, you can also levitate." She had no need to explain what that meant to the younger Anne. She knew what that meant from many stories, both about Jesus and different fiction stories.

Anne smiled brightly at the news. "Are there any others?"

"Ah, yes, one more." Her mother had placed her hands over Anne's, squeezing them tightly. "You have the power to look into the past, but not the future."

"Why do I need to do that?" Anne asked.

"To learn someone's story." Her mother said. "Everyone has a story behind their eyes. Once you look into them, you can trigger that power."

"I don't know mommy." Anne had moved her hands out from under her mother's. "I don't think I want to know the past."

Anne's mother had sighed. She moved her hands back into her own lap, folding them nicely around each other. "Well, there are times the past is not so great." Anne's mother had started to smile now. "But others, you can learn so much."

"Like what?" Anne asked.

"So many questions from such a young child." She had laughed. She stood up and took Anne's hand. "I will answer them in time my sweet child. For now, it is bedtime." She started to lead her to the door.

"But mommy…" Anne had started. Her mother quickly turned around and swooped the child from her feet. "No buts!" She said. "Or else you'll be sleeping in the barn with the oxen!" She swirled Anne through the air, making her laugh and giggle with glee. She went through the door with Anne on her shoulders, making the guards look at her with questioning eyes. That night, Anne's mother had put her to sleep by singing a song she had always loved. That same night, Anne's uncle had come in the middle of the night to kill her mother.

Anne's eyes jolted open from the past memory. Tears were already forming in her eyes as she sank to the ground in grief. Her mother was right; some of the past wasn't so great. Anne wiped the back of her hand under each eye, trying to wipe away the tears. But it was no use, more tears spilled from her eyes each second she thought back to that night. It had been her last with her mom. Anne reached to the fallen satchel and opened it. She took out the brown book, tracing her fingers over the cover. She brought it up to her lips, then placed it back in.

Anne had never known how her mother had truly died until she looked back on that memory. She had always thought she had drowned in the bath. After learning that she had also learned her uncle had powers too. She didn't know why her mother had never told her, but now thinking about it, she should have guessed; considering her and her grandfather had them. She learned her uncle was evil, and so was her own father.

Now Anne was remembering another memory, but refused to let herself go back in time. She remembered the day her Uncle had come to her with a box; a small box with a small bug inside. He had never told her what it was for, but had told her father about it. She had kept it in her closet, knowing it was probably for evil. Her father had tried several times to take it from her, but she refused to let it go. She knew her father would use it for bad. But that one day, that one day that changed everything, he had found it and taken it. She had screamed and kicked at him, hoping to make him feel bad, but it didn't work. He had started using the bug's venom to kill off some of the population. That's when she knew what it was for. A year after Anne had decided it was time to look into the past. She had waited until her Uncle had come to visit.

"Anne, so very good to see you." Anne's uncle smiled crookedly at her. She cringed at the look of him, his black, slick hair melting over one side of his head. His few teeth smiled at her mockingly, urging her to do something. Anne had fought herself from attacking him right there, for everything he had done. But she knew he was stronger and wiser with his powers. She had looked over at her father then, who hissed at her to bow. She didn't understand how her father could stand him, after killing mother. But of course, he had probably wanted her dead.

Anne had curtsied to him, scowling at him as she brought herself back up. He had started to walked away, smirking as he did, when Anne called to him.

"Uncle." She had said. Once he turned, Anne quickly looked into his eyes and triggered the past.

Memory inside of a memory.

"Edward, stop it!" Anne's grandfather and her mother's father came running into the courtyard, waving his arms. In the middle of the court, Edward was squatting over a writhing cat. It was squirming and jerking against the cold stones.

Anne's grandfather came running to him. He snatched Edward around the under arms and jerked him away from the animal. Edward fell to the ground with a grunt, rubbing the back of his head as he looked up at his father.

"What was that for?" He whined. "What did I do?"

Anne's grandfather mumbled something under his breath at the cat, and it stopped moving. It got up from where it was laying, meowed, and then trotted away. Anne's grandfather turned to Edward.

"What were you doing?" He yelled. "Why were you hurting that animal?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders.

"Did you think that was fun?" Rage blossomed through the older man's features. He looked like he was ready to murder.

"I guess, kind of." Edward said casually.

"Well its sick!" He said. "You don't use your powers for evil!"

Edward finally stood up and balled his hands into fists. "Well I don't see you using yours for good!" He stormed away from his father, leaving him baffled. Anne's grandfather shook his head, rubbing his hands on his face.

"This is not good." He said, and the memory ended.

Anne quickly opened her eyes to see her Uncle staring at her.

"What do you want?" He asked with discern. He tapped his foot impatiently.

Anne shrugged. "I forgot."

Anne opened her eyes again. She remembered that day thoroughly, remembering the memory she had had. That was the day she had found out the time her Uncle became truly evil, and her grandfather had found out. Anne shook her head and stood up. She fixed her satchel on her shoulder again and began walking. She didn't want to think about those things. She had one focus, saving Robin Hood.


	7. Chapter 7

"Excuse me Miss." Little John walked up to a woman who was getting her garments off of her clothes line. She was gathering them in a basket, which a young child held close to his chest. "Miss?" Little John said again. The woman continued to ignore him. He sighed and heaved his chest. "Miss, I have a question for you." The woman once again didn't hear, and continued to pull the clothes down. She took a dress and shook it before placing it in the nicely woven basket. He walked closer and tapped her shoulder. "Please, miss…"

Little John grunted as he flew back onto the ground. His staff flew to his left, just under somebody's feet. He shook his head roughly before gathering himself and getting back on his feet.

"Who are you?" The woman asked loudly. She stood in front of her child, holding him back with her hands. She glared at him with daring eyes. The child behind her smirked at him.

Little John growled deeply. This, he did not like. "I'm John." He said. He bent down in front of her to pick his staff up. The whole time he kept his eyes on her, making sure she didn't try to do what she had just done again. "I didn't mean to scare you."

The woman just looked at him. She turned to the little boy. "What did he say?" She asked just as loud as before. The boy looked at Little John before turning back to his mother. He then proceeded to make weird hand gestures. When he finished, he turned to John.

"She's deaf, she can't hear." He said.

"It's alright." The woman nearly yelled. She held out her hand. "I'm Rosa." John took her hand and shook it. "What is it you wanted?" She said.

Little John looked at the boy, who nodded his head to continue. "Well, um, I'm part of Robin's gang…" He stopped and watched the boy tell his mother in some weird way. He continued. "He's sick, and, well, we don't know why."

Rosa put her hand to her mouth and gasped. "What can I do?" She looked back at her son.

"I wanted to know if you had seen anything while we were here. Maybe someone came up to him and gave him something?" He was fascinated at how Rosa understood the boy's gestures. He had never seen anything like it. Could he be telling her exactly what he was saying? Was there a whole other way to communicate to someone?

"I can't say I did." Rosa spoke. "Other than the Sherriff coming to free you all." She frowned at him. "Is he too bad?"

"I can't be sure." Little John said. The boy repeated what he had said. "Thank you anyways." He added.

"Your welcome." She yelled one last time before turning back to her clothes' line. Little John began to walk away when she called out. "Best wishes to our hero." John turned around, smiled and nodded, then walked away.

John continued going around, asking anybody he came across about what they had seen. Once, a few guards had come by. John had quickly ducked behind a mucking stall, crunching his nose from the dead awful smell. When they had passed, he had gotten up and decided it was time to get back to camp.

"Thank you." He said to a man he had been talking to before the guards had appeared. He had been like the others, not seeing or hearing anything. Little John frowned at his unsuccessful mission, and hoped something would come up soon. He couldn't even bear the thought of Robin dying, especially when everyone needed him the most. As he edged towards the beginning of the forest, he felt something crawling on his skin. He pulled his arm up to his face to discover a small tick inching its way up. He quickly thumped it off; glad it had yet to sink it's fangs into him. As he started to move again, a memory flashed through his mind. The tick. Robin. He had flicked it off. It had been difficult to, like it was attached to Robin before. John looked back at the tick on the ground, then turned around and began to run back to camp.

Outlaw's Camp

Robin felt something leaning into the side of his stomach. It felt heavy, and when Robin shifted his weight it moved away. He kept his eyes closed as he stretched his neck, getting the cramps out. His body was a little achy, but other than that he felt fine. He knew what happened, he remembered everything.  _And thank the good Lord for that,_  Robin thought. He certainly didn't want to forget anything, especially the newest member of their gang. Now, Robin's eyes began to open. The light shining through the tree tops made him squint and hold is hand up to block the sun. He felt refreshed as he sat up. Robin chuckled as he realized it was Much, who had his head against the bed. His elbow had obviously been jutted into Robin's side.  _Which explains the pain in that spot,_ Robin thought as he rubbed the area around his lower torso. He stretched one more time before making his way over to the burnt out fire. Over it swung a black pot full of stew. He took the spoon from it and ate a few bites. Satisfied by the fulfillment, he decided he needed to take a walk.

"I'll be back soon." He said to no one, for they were all asleep.

Much yawned as he started to wake up. He leant forward away from the bed and stretched out his arms. His neck was sore from the way he had been sleeping. He rubbed it as he began to open his eyes. He scooted around to face Robin, who he knew would probably still be asleep.

"Never again will I…" Much started. "Robin?" Much yelled. He hurriedly stood and pulled the covers back on the bed. It was empty. "Robin!" Much called. He frantically scanned the camp area, looking for a distraught or injured Robin.

"Much!" Allan barely yelled from where he lay half awake. "The sun's barely even out." He put his pillow over his head and began to mumble.

"Get up! Everybody, get up!" He said. "Robin's missing!" He began to look under the beds and around trees. Djaq, Will, and Tuck sprang up in bed at the news.

"Where'd he go?" Will asked as he pulled his pants on while sitting. Tuck was pulling his shirt on as he jumped out of bed, assisting the man servant in the search.

"I…I don't know." Much said. "I didn't hear him go anywhere." He put his hand against a tree. "What if someone took him?" Much panted. His eyes looked worried and pained.

"Certainly not." Tuck said as he rechecked everywhere Much had already been. "But we need to scan the forest. Pain that great could have made him delusional."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Djaq said. She pulled on her boots and went to Allan's side. "Allan, come, we must go find Robin." She continued to shake him.

"Well where'd he go?" Allan asked incoherently. He was obviously still half asleep. He lifted his head and glared at Djaq. "It's too early." He looked around Djaq and sighed. "Besides, he's right there." He plopped his head back against the pillow.

Much turned around to find Robin walking his way from the outskirts of the camp. He smiled at them as he got closer.

"Of course." Much mumbled as he fell into a sitting position against the tree. "He's fine."

"Robin, what are you doing?" Djaq asked as she made her way over to him. "How are you feeling?"

Robin smiled brightly at her. "Brilliant! I feel…like I've woken from a long nap refreshed." He moved around her back to the burnt out fire. "But I'm starving!" He grabbed a wooden bowl from beside it and began spilling stew into it.

"Are you sure?" Tuck asked. He came up beside Robin and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You gave us quite a scare last night."

"I feel better than ever, trust me." Robin said. He sat down on his bed and began eating. He looked up at Djaq. "I don't know what it was, but it's gone now."

"But, you were in so much pain…" Will started.

"And now I'm not." Robin stated. "Now please, can we move on?" Robin sounded a bit irritated, but he tried not to show it too much. He didn't want to remember the pain, let alone remember how weak he was. He hated feeling that way, especially in front of others. He was supposed to be strong, he was Robin Hood.

"You heard him, now shut up." Allan called from his bed. He was facing away from them. Moments later a snore rippled through the air.

"If you're sure…" Djaq said. "But please, tell me if you feel any pain." She followed Robin's actions and grabbed something to eat.

"I promise." Robin said.

Much brought his face from his knees and looked up at Robin. "You always have to do that." He said. "Just run off."

"Well, yeah." Robin said, a smile gaining on his face.

"Just…leave." Much said.

"Mmhm." Robin said with his mouth full. "Where would be the fun if I had just woken up when you had?"

"No fun, that's what." Much said. "For once it would be normal." He stood up and grabbed himself a bowl. He then plopped down on his own bed. "But of course, we can't expect that from you."

"Nope." Robin continued with the short answers.

"I don't like you." Much stated, bring a spoonful to his mouth.

"Yes you do." Robin stated back.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you very much do love me." Robin gleefully stated.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes." Much waited for Robin's reply, but realized he wasn't getting one. He realized what he had said and stomped his foot in frustration.

"See? You do love me." Robin said. The rest of the gang laughed at Much's anger.

"John?" Will suddenly said. Everyone turned toward where Will was looking. Through the thick forest, they could see Little John running towards them. As he got nearer Robin sprang up from where he was sitting and met John halfway.

"My friend, what's wrong?" Robin asked. He hadn't known of John going to Locksley, and now that he thought about it, he wondered where John was when he woke this morning.

Little John bent over and leaned his hands on his knees. Robin placed a hand on his back as he continued to try and catch his breath. Finally John looked up at Robin.

"What…are you doing?" John asked with a questioning look. "You were…in pain…Now, you're…up." John stood up straight and scanned Robin over.

"That's my question too." Djaq said, coming over to them. "He woke before us and took a walk. He seems perfectly fine."

"That can't be…the tick." John said. He sighed in frustration and rubbed his large hand over his grizzly face.

"What tick?" Now Much was coming over, eyeing Robin again for any pain. He knew there was something else. He just knew it.

"John, you're not making any sense." Djaq said.

John nodded his head and sat down. "Yes, I am. There was a tick on Robin just yesterday."

"Ah, I remember." Robin said. "I didn't even think about it."

"But a tick, it shouldn't cause anything like that to happen." Djaq said.

"Or maybe it can." Tuck said from his sitting position. He clasped his hands together. "From my studies in my home country, we have found many different kinds of…ticks." He added.

"But one that could cause such pain?" Much asked.

Tuck shrugged his shoulders. "You never truly know all of what the Lord placed on this earth."

"Anyways." Robin said. "I'm feeling fine now, so no need to worry." He went back to his bed and grabbed his bowl again. "John, you might want to get something to eat."

Much just stared at him in disbelief. "Master, surely you're feeling something, a pain…or…or sickness." Everyone had now sat down and continued to eat.

"If you want me to be ill, I will gladly shoot myself with an arrow." Robin smirked. The others smiled and snickered.

"No…well…we wouldn't want that." Much finally said, giving up and sitting back down with the others.

"I think whatever it was, it's gone now." Robin said.

"But even still," Tuck said, "Any sign of pain, you tell us." His voice sounded strong and firm.

"I will." Robin sighed.

"Now that that's cleared up." Allan called from his position on the bed. His face was buried deep in his pillow. "Shut up!"

"Ah, but Allan," Robin sang, "we were just about to sing!" And with that Robin and Will began singing a nursery rhyme from their own country. The others smiled at their fake voices they protruded to annoy Allan.

Allan grunted and stuffed the pillow over his face, but then suddenly threw it at Robin.

"Shut up!"

The next day in Sherwood Forest

Robin lay flat on his stomach, eyes scanning his prey in front of him. He was only a few feet away, but his target couldn't see him due to the bush separating them. He had thought of the way to approach it, and had finally landed on this option. To his left, Will smiled over at him. The thought of capturing this one was priceless, never before seen work. Will lifted up the string in his hand, which, if you followed its course, was tied to a branch just over their victims head. On the end of it was a basket of acorns, a distraction so they could jump right in. Right now, their prey was laying on the ground, obviously asleep, it shouldn't be hard. And with their disguise, it was a synch.

Robin nodded his head, the okay to let the acorns fall. Will nodded back and gently pulled the string. Robin watch as the basket tipped and the acorns fell loose.

"Ah!" Much yelled. "Their attacking!" He covered his face with his arms, blocking the acorns from his face. Just before he started to get up and run, Robin and Will jumped from their hiding spot and aimed their weapons at Much. Will, axe held high, and Robin with his arrow pointed directly at Much's face. This made Much yell even louder. He scrambled to his feet and held his hands up in surrender.

"Whatever you want, just keep the squirrels away." He looked pitiful with his eyes wide and his whole body shaking.

"Squirrels?" Robin laughed. "Where'd you get that idea?" He pulled off the head of his cloak, Will following his procession.

Much gaped at them. His opened mouth soon turned into a scowl. "Of course." He pushed the arrow out of his face. "One day of nothing, and you go totally crazy."

"I'm crazy?" Robin laughed. "What about the squirrels attacking?" Will joined in the laughter. "But you're right Much, I am crazy." He turned his face away, then turned back around and yelled, "Boo!"

Much jumped back from surprise. This made the other two laugh even harder. He wiped his hands on his pants and looked up at them. "Well, I see that you are. Just because of one day without taking from the rich and giving to the poor, doesn't mean you can't use it for something more productive."

"You're right Much." Robin stopped laughing and just smiled.

"Of course…" Much stopped in mid sentence. "I am?" He looked bewildered as Robin walked over to his bed. Much followed.

"Of course you are." Robin said. He took his leather chest vest from the ground and pulled it on. He then put his cloak back on, and then flipped on the hood. "Let's go steal from the rich," He took his bow from the bed and slung his arrow satchel over his back, "And give to the poor."

Will and Allan beamed up at him from their beds when he said this. Allan had been staring off into space and Will had started on a piece of wood. Now, they were getting up and getting ready.

"I didn't mean…I don't think you should…" Much started.

"You said it, not me." Robin said. Little John was picking up his staff while Djaq smiled at Robin.

"If you're sure." Djaq said. "I have no doubt you are feeling better." She walked over to Much and patted his back. "Come on."

Robin nodded and headed out the camp. The others followed, though Much stood there for a minute before running to catch up to them.

"You're first time being a real outlaw." Robin said to Tuck, who was walking beside him.

"And I'm sure it will be very rewarding." Tuck smiled back at him.

The North Road

"Now come on," A big, burly man said, "I haven't gotten anything worth takin'." He sat atop a carriage with two horses in front, though Much held the reins. The others were searching the cart. They had caught this man by surprise, the way they always did. This man was unarmed and unprepared.

"I'm not being funny," Allan said, "But aren't these things worth taking?" He held up a few bags of coins and showed them to Robin, who was just walking around to the front of the cart.

Robin nodded. "I do believe they are." He stared up at the man. His face was round and bulging. He had little hairs sticking out from his chin, which Robin thought was maybe the beginning of a beard. His eyes were brown, unlike Robin's emerald green. His hair was a mess on his head, different parts going every which direction.

"What are you looking at?" The man spat at Robin. He snarled his lips at him.

"A brute by the looks of it." Robin smarted back. He took the man's arm. "Now get down." The man looked at him in disbelief, but when John walked up to them with his giant staff pointed at the man's chest, he reluctantly climbed down from the cart.

"That's a good brute." Allan laughed from the back. "Eh, Robin. Look at all of this." Robin came around to Allan while Little John held to the man.

"Oh, looks as if you've gotten plenty here." Robin said to the man. In front of him were loads and loads of coins, all in different bags. They were all tied neatly with white ribbon.

"What were you going to do with all this anyways?" Will went up to the man.

"None of your business." The man looked away from Will and directed his eyes to the sky. Robin came up to them too as Djaq went beside Much.

"You'll answer him properly and respectively." Robin said. "After all, we are the ones who have  _you_  against your will." He emphasized you, poking his finger into the man's chest.

"I ain't gotta answer to no savages." The man snarled again, and then spat on Robin. Robin quickly backed up as Little John took the man by his neck and held him against the side of the cart.

"Excuse me, but we are not savages." Much snapped. "Just…outlaws." Djaq blinked at him and shook her head. From behind the cart, Tuck and Allan were still gathering up the bags.

"Okay…okay." The man said. John still had his grip and the man's face was now turning blue.

"John, let him go." Robin said. He wiped the spit off his cheek. "He doesn't deserve to die…today." John let him go and Robin started patting down the man for any other coins. "The rest of you, go get the bags." Will, John, and Djaq went over to finish helping Tuck and Allan. Much watched as Robin finished patting him down and backed away. Robin seemed unsteady as he put his bow back on his shoulder and stuffed an arrow in his satchel. When Robin looked over at him, his eyes looked unfocused.

"We got it!" Allan called. He then laughed. "We could keep whole villages alive for months!" He shook the bags in his hands. The others started laughing and walked over to him.

"Alright then, let's head back." Robin said. He smiled at them and nodded them to start off. Much let the reins go and went up beside his master. The others were already at the edge of the forest when Robin finally looked back at the man.

"Remember, we are Robin Hood." He always said something like this when they robbed. Much thought it was so they would tell who stole from them, or maybe because he wanted to scare the people they stole from. Either way, the person's eyes would always go wide, just like this man's was."

Robin turned around and started towards the others. Much followed in step beside him, watching him from the corner of his eye. His eyes would halfway close then open again each time he took a step. His chest was falling heavily, like he was struggling to breathe. Every now and then he would stumble, but shake it off by laughing and saying he was clumsy.

"Master, are you alright?" Much finally asked. The rest of the gang was out of ear shot.

"Yes, Much." Robin said. He didn't say anymore though, he just kept walking.

"But, back there, you seemed…"

"Much!" Robin snapped. He stopped and turned to look at his former man servant, whose eyes were wide with fear. "I'm fine." He said calmly.

Much didn't say anything and they continued walking in silence. What Much didn't notice though was Robin's face. One tear slowly fell down his cheek.


	8. Chapter 8

Much sat crossed leg on his bed, staring at a bird not five feet away. It was pecking the ground for any leftovers from their supper, finding a piece of pork here and there. Much's cap lay on the ground, where it had fallen only a few moments ago. He had decided to leave it, unconsciously of course. His mind had been on something else, and it still was. He was thinking of Robin.

When they had gotten back to camp a few hours ago, Robin had gone straight to where the "can" was on the other side of camp, a few paces from the rear of it. Much hadn't thought much of it, until he heard an awful retching sound. Robin was throwing up. Much had decided to leave it be, for he didn't want to upset his master anymore then he already had. When supper came around, they had all sat around the fire, sitting on various logs and rocks. The night air was chilly, and the stars had been showing enough light away from the fire to see the whole camp. Much had been eating slowly, his eyes barely left Robin's form in the shadows. He was sitting farthest then any of them from the fire. He sat against a tree, head hung low. Nobody really noticed, except for Much. Of course, they shouldn't suspect anything was wrong, Robin would answer back to them each time they talked to him; enough to satisfy that he was alright. But Much saw past his words and fake smiles. He knew something was wrong with Robin, and he knew it wasn't emotional.

When they had finished eating, Much was going to talk to Robin, but he had secretly gotten up before they had finished and was already sleeping. Much had slouched as he made his way to his bed. The others said their goodnights, yawning as they hunkered down for the night. Now, Much was sitting on his bed, watching the bird scavenge for food.

"Do you ever have my problems?" Much aimed the question toward the bird. The bird made a low whistling noise and continued his search. "I didn't think so." Much looked down at his hands. He was absentmindedly fiddling his fingers. He stopped and heaved a heavy sigh, closing his eyes as he did.

Suddenly, the bird chirped loudly and flew away, making Much's eyes fly open. Much looked around to see the why the bird had left. Down the left of the camp, a figure was making its way away. It was slouching, and stumbled a few times as it walked. Much slowly got up, keeping his eyes on the stranger. He squinted his eyes, trying to see through the dimness. The figure disappeared behind a tree. Much looked around the grounds before pushing forward and following. He stepped lightly and quietly, careful not to step on any leaves, which was hard because the forest floor was covered in them. He flinched each time he heard the crunching, and looked behind him to see if he had waken anybody. He then looked forward again. When he saw the person had stopped, he stopped. He held his breath, hoping the person wouldn't turn around. He was now about fifteen yards away. The figure turned its head to the left, and Much sucked in air. If this person was dangerous, he certainly didn't want to get its attention. Now that he thought about it, why was he following the intruder? Was it because he simply was curious, or was it the feeling that he felt inside now that told him he should? Either way, he made his decision to move forward when the intruder suddenly started walking again.

They slowly made their way away from camp, near to a drop off from a cliff. Much wondered who this person was and why he was going towards a dead end. The person stopped again. Much heard him suck in his breath, than he quickly turned around.

"Who's there?" The voice sounded rough and scratchy. Much tensed his muscles. He was standing behind an oak tree, a few yards from the stranger. He looked to his right and saw the bottom of the cliff. At least a quarter of a mile down, it ended with a rushing river with sharp rocks jutting from it. Much closed his eyes and just hoped that he didn't end up at the bottom of that.

"Show yourself." The person said again. This time, he took a few steps. Much opened his eyes and peered around the tree. He could dimly make out the figure of the person as it turned its head. Much sighed lowly, knowing he shouldn't do what he was about to do. He wiped some sweat coming from his brow and slowly took a step away from the tree. He sucked in his breath.

The stranger hadn't noticed. He stood with his back to Much. A few feet away from him, a squirrel jumped from a tree and landed in between Much and the other person. It made a loud thump, causing the stranger to jerk his head around. Much tensed again as the stranger's eyes shifted from the squirrel to Much. He heard a deafening sound as he unsheathed his sword from his holder.

"Who are you?" The man had the tip of his sword pointed in Much's direction, and the former manservant held back a whimper.

"I…I…" Much stammered.

"I said, who are you?" The man raised his voice as he stepped closer. Much could now make out the shape of a hood over the man's head. The moonlight only shown on his boots, which were dark brown.

"What were you doing in our camp?" Much burst out. He was surprised at his sudden outburst, but puffed out his chest and held his head high.

"That's what I would like to know." The man said. He took another step.

"What do you mean?" Much took a step back. "You're the one who was there."

The man swirled his sword in the air, then let it hit the dirt. He quickly brought it back up, now closer to Much's form. "Tell me why you are following me."

Much squinted at him. Why was he asking that? "Well you were in my camp of course!"

The man paused before speaking. "You're a spy." He said it quietly and slowly.

Much widened his mouth. "What? That's ridicu…"

"You're a spy!" The man yelled, and then suddenly lunged forward. He toppled onto Much, sending him towards the ground. But before he hit it, the sword caught hold of his shirt. The man brought him back up and shoved him again. Much caught himself and surged forward into the man. He sent him to the ground with a grunt. Much kicked him in the stomach as the man struggled to get his hands on Much. He took hold of Much's shirt as Much punched him in the face. The man's grip seemed weak, but he managed to send Much to the ground. The man quickly stood and came back down onto Much's stomach. He jammed his knee into his side and pulled back Much's arm to his back. Much hollered out in pain. He felt the tip of the sword go to the side of his neck. Much spat some blood from his mouth into the dirt.

"Who are you?" The man asked the question for the third time. He flipped Much over onto his back and hit him in the face. Much groaned but quickly recovered. He looked into his attacker's face. "I said, who…"

"Master!"

RHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRHRH

Marian walked down the great corridor towards her room. She had just gotten through with dinner, and was quite ready to retreat to her own sanctuary. Ever since her father had died, she had found great comfort in her own room in the castle. There, she could think about him in her own private thoughts. Gisborne knew better then to disturb her when she was in there. She often wept for him and wrote long letters to him, though she never sent them. For, where would they go? Certainly not to the place he was now. She smiled to herself at the thought of where he was. She wiped one tear from her cheek as she turned the corner.

"Marian." Gisborne stood down the other hall with the Sherriff and two other men. Marian stopped and turned down that hall. She stopped in front of him.

"Yes, Sir Guy." She said respectfully. She looked over at the two strange men. The one beside the Sherriff was dressed fine, with many jewels on his fingers and around his neck. The other was backed against a wall, leaning heavily on it. He looked rugged compared to the other three men here, but wasn't dressed as a peasant would be. She saw the finer man wink at her, and she turned her head back to Gisborne with a scorn look on her face.

"I assume your meal was pleasant?" He asked casually.

"Very well, thank you." She said. She tapped her finger rapidly on her other hand. They were folded nicely to show manners, but she was getting very impatient at this point.

"That's all nice." The Sherriff said. "Now tell her why she is here."

"Ah, yes." Gisborne said. "These men are from Ashdeer." He nodded towards the two strange men. "The Sherriff of Ashdeer, George, and his brother in law Edward." He turned his gaze back towards Marian, who curtsied to each of them.

"Very nice to meet you." She said sweetly.

"They will be staying here for a few days." He said. "And I presume you will be serving towards their needs. " He turned towards George who was smiling at Marian. "She is at your very will, for as long as you are here." Gisborne sounded pained, but when he glanced at the Sherriff and saw a scowl on his face, he quickly smiled and looked back towards Marian.

"As it is." She said lowly as she bowed her head to the men.

"Right then." The Sherriff clapped his hands together. "Let us get on. We have lots to plan with such little time." He started walking off down the hall. Edward followed, but George paused. He smiled at Marian and came closer to her.

"I assume you are very well with your hands." He put his hand through her hair, lifted it up, and sniffed it. "Maybe you can come clean my room later, it's quite filthy at this point." He let her hair drop back to her shoulders and walked away. Marian flinched when he had said that, and turned away from Gisborne.

"I must go now." She said, but Gisborne laid a hand on her shoulder before she could go anywhere.

"Marian…"

Marian swung around and scowled at Gisborne. "How could you let this happen?" A tear fell down her cheek and landed on her dress. "The Sherriff put this up to you, didn't he?"

"He made me, but Marian, I assure you I tried to refuse." He laid a hand on her cheek but she jerked away.

She turned her head towards the wall as she scowled. "Well, either way, what are they doing here?" She wiped her hand across her cheek, wiping away any remainder wetness.

"Now, you know I can't inform you about…"

"And why not?" She said firmly but softly. "I am being forced to spend every waking moment with those fowl creatures. I at least deserve to know why."

Gisborne sighed. "If you must."

"You must." She said firmly again.

"Do you know of Staffern, just between here and Ashdeer?" Gisborne asked indulgently.

"I do."

"The Sherriff there has passed away, only a few days ago. Vaisey and George both received news at the same time about it. There's a pact, between the three of the Sherriffs, about what to do if one should die."

"And what is that?" Marian asked curiously, though she hoped for nothing bad.

"That if one should die, the other two should split the land."

Marian gaped at him. "You mean the King had planned the pact?"

"Well, no." Gisborne said nervously. "The pact was made only a year after the King had left. Therefore, it was not long until it had gone into effect…which is now."

"They split the land then…" Marian said that out loud, now thinking to herself.

"Yes. Now, if you have nothing better to do, I suggest you go to your chamber and don't speak of this to anybody." Gisborne sounded firm now, nothing like the calming voice he had only used a few moments ago.

"Very well then." She turned and walked away, dreading the news she had just heard, and now wondering when she would get the chance to tell Robin.

"What did you say?" The man asked through clenched teeth. He still held the tip of the sword to Much's neck, which was now starting to trickle with blood.

"Master, it's me, Much!" Much couldn't believe his eyes. His own master was holding him pinned to the ground with a sword to his throat. I knew it would happen, but not like this. Much thought to himself, then chuckled out loud.

"What are you laughing at?" Robin shoved his knee harder into Much's side.

"Ma…master." Much choked out. "It's Much, your best friend." His face started to contort as Robin pressed harder.

"I have no best friend." Robin spat. He put his face towards Much's. "Now tell me, why were you following me?" He slid the point of the sword across Much's neck, making a perfect trail of blood.

Much's head was starting to swim. He began to see black dots dancing around in front of him. He looked up at Robin with a pleading look. "Please…Master." Robin kept tracing the sword lightly over Much's neck, more blood softly flowing down to the ground. "Robin."

The movement stopped. Much closed his eyes as the sword was lifted from his neck. He heard it plop to the ground. "Much." He heard Robin whisper softly. He felt the pressure in his side disappear, then a soft groan. "Much." Robin said again. He heard Robin get up. "Oh my god."

Robin took hold of his own hair and started puling. "Oh my god. No." Tears started to fall from his eyes. He started walking backwards, staring at Much the whole time. "No, no, no." His body began to shake. He tripped over a root from a tree and fell backwards onto the ground. He lifted his head from the mossy earth and touched his brow. It was covered in blood. He looked to the ground and saw a sharp rock with a sticky red substance on it. He looked back at Much, who was now opening his eyes and lifting his head. Robin started scooting back and whispering to himself. "No, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." He covered his face with his hands and laid his head on his knees.

Much lifted himself into a sitting position. He groaned as he put his hand to his neck, which was now completely covered in blood. He closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them again to the sound of Robin. He looked over at him. He had his head down, though he could see blood flowing from his head. Much looked at the ground and saw the cause of the injury, a rock the size of his fist. Much got to his feet and made his way over to Robin.

"Master?" Much said cautiously. He put a hand on Robin's shoulder. Robin quickly jerked away and scooted back again. "No, I'm so sorry." He mumbled. He looked up at Much with a tear stricken face. Much looked pitifully down at him. He knew something way worse then he suspected was wrong.

"Robin, it's okay." He said lowly and calmly. He took a step toward Robin.

"No, it's not." Robin said. "I almost killed you." He looked away and lowered his head. "I almost killed you!"

Much jumped at the outburst, but quickly recovered and took another step. "Robin, you're confused, it's okay." Much started thinking about how Robin was acting earlier, distant from the group. He just couldn't figure out what had caused it.

"I'm not crazy." Robin said as he put his head down on his knees again. "I'm not crazy." He started weeping again. Much moved towards him and got down on his knees beside him. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No, you're not." Much said softly. "You're just sick. You have amnesia…or…something like that." Robin lifted his head to look at Much.

"I'm not crazy." He said it so softly that Much had to strain to hear. "I…I just can't…I can't remember."

"Anything?" Much sounded worried and his breathing hitched for a moment.

"No, I just…I can't remember anything when I was a child." He said.

"What?" Much asked.

"I can't. I'm trying, but I can't."

Much took his hand from Robin's shoulder. "It's okay, you don't have to. Let's just get back to camp." Robin looked back up at him with the most pitiful eyes Much had ever seen. "I'm scared."

"About what?"

"Don't tell the others, please." He said.

"Well, I…"

"Please." Robin said again, though this time he sounded more pained.

Much sighed. "I won't. I promise." He took Robin by his right arm and lifted him off of the ground. "But you have to try to remember, or I'll have to." Robin nodded his head. He closed his eyes for a moment, putting his hand on his head.

Much had never seen Robin like this, ever. He has seen Robin cry before, he'd even seen him hurt and confused. But nothing like this, not like the way he was now. He knew something horrible was happening to Robin, and he needed to find out what it was. He couldn't stand seeing Robin like this, and it pained him as he heard Robin groan as he pushed his head.

"Come on." Much laid a hand on Robin's back. Robin opened his eyes and looked at Much before he started walking. Much walked right beside him, ready to catch him if he fell. He knew by the look on Robin's face that the injury he had was causing him great pain. Remembering that he had an injury of his own, he put his hand to his neck. It had stopped bleeding, but he knew it was a little bit too much of a blood loss for his own good. He took the vest he wore over his shirt and held it in his hands. He ripped off a good length of it and began tying it around his neck.

"I'm sorry about that." Robin said, noticing what Much was doing.

"Don't worry about it." Much said as he finished tying it. "I've had worse." He looked forward and kept walking.

Robin stopped. "When?"

Much jerked to a halt and turned around to Robin. "Well, in the Holy Land." Robin looked at him with a confused look. "Oh no, don't tell me…"

"You got stabbed in the leg." Robin said blankly.

Much sighed. "Yes, you found me on the ground after the raid."

"I remember that." He said softly. His eyes seemed distant as Much walked over to him. "But, I can't…"

"You can't what?" Much tried to get Robin to focus on his face, but he seemed as if he were in another world.

"I can't keep wal…" Robin's eyes went to the back of his head before he fell to the ground. Much couldn't catch him fast enough. He fell to the ground beside him and turned him over on his back, just as Robin had did only moments ago to him, though with different intentions in mind.

"Robin." Much didn't shake him. He was afraid of causing more damage. He took off the rest of his vest and laid it on Robin's wound. He pressed lightly on it. Robin groaned.

"Robin, I'm going to get help." Much said. As he started to get up, Robin took his arm.

"Don't….leave…me." He said slowly. His eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing again.

"Robin, we can't stay out here." Much said, lowering himself back to the ground. "I have to get John."

"I can't…" Robin said. "They'll get me." His body started to shake. Much took off his shirt and laid it over Robin's body. "Please…just…stay." Much sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.

"I'll stay." Much felt tears forming in his eyes, but held them back. "I won't leave you." He put his back against a tree and put Robin's head on his leg. Robin needed to elevate his head before more damage came to him. He silently thanked Djaq for teaching him a thing or two about injuries.

Robin opened his eyes and looked up at Much. "I'm sorry." His eyes closed and he was out cold.


	9. Chapter 9

"No."

"What?"

"I said…no."

Vaisey stood in the middle of the room, frozen. His hand gripping the feather ink pen loosened its grip, sending it to the ground. His other hand twitched, a sign of annoyance. His lip snarled up on the right, showing one yellow stained tooth.

He had just talked with George, about the pact and how fulfilling it would be. They had both discussed the pros and cons of it, though Vaisey had rarely pointed out any disadvantages to getting extra land and people. George, on the other hand, was hesitant about the advantages, and focused mainly on the consequences and hardships of having more. Vaisey consistently stopped him when he talked of how much more work it would be, and even once called him a lazy prat. They had argued on and on, when eventually, Vaisey got control and it seemed as if George were ready to sign. Once he thought he had him caught, Vaisey had swiftly moved over to his desk and brought the feather pen out. He had walked over to the pact, which was sitting on a brown Peruvian table, elegant enough to hold the King's crown. There he had told George to sign.

"What do you mean…no?" Vaisey held back his temper. His right hand began to shake out of rage, but he held it down with his other hand.

"I mean, I'm not going to sign." George was calm, or it seemed so enough. He was standing beside a bird cage, fine with silver bars. He was twiddling with a string hanging from the stand. He looked over at Vaisey, who looked on the verge of murder. "I don't believe I am ready for that kind of responsibility."

"George, certainly you could…" Edward stopped. George had looked over at him when he began to speak and gave him a deathining glare. Edward had been standing and waiting patiently in the far corner of the room. He had wanted to jump in and interrupt their conversation on several occasions, but had bit his tongue.

"Come now George," Vaisey began, "It wouldn't be too hard. A few extra land, a few more people, and you'll get loads of more pounds." Vaisey looked at him with a fake grin, trying to lure him by seeming innocent.

"I just don't know…" George said.

"What about when we made the pact in the first place?" Vaisey changed his confrontation to another tactic. "The three of us, God bless Arnold's soul, agreed to help each other out. Kind of like a blood promise, like blood brothers." Vaisey held out his hand, offering it to George.

George looked at it and looked back up at Vaisey. "Just so much work…"

"Oh! But that's not even a problem now, is it?" Vaisey said. "More guards, more power. No work for you, just…authority." He half smiled, showing more of his teeth now.

George looked at him with a questioning look. "I'll have to think though."

Vaisey backed up and held both of his hands in front of him. "Of course, as long as it takes. Just, don't be too haste on a decision."

"Right then." George said. He let go of the string and walked over to the door. "I'll think, while you get me my tick back."

Vaisey had just sat down in his chair, and now jerked his head up. "The tick?" He drummed his fingers on the desk, eyes shifting from George to Edward, who was now stepping away from the wall and towards Vaisey. His eyes were gleaming with mischievous and pride. "Ah, yes, well, the tick."

"Yes, the tick." George said. "I assume you have it in a safe place." He eyed Vaisey with a suspecting look.

"I do, yes, yes." Vaisey said. "Very safe. So safe, in fact, that I need a day or two to retrieve it." He smiled again.

"Ah, well, I have as long as it takes." George grinned right back at him. They both knew this was a cat and mouse game, and George wasn't about to lose.

But neither was Vaisey. "Same to you." Vaisey got up from the desk and walked over to George, moving around Edward with ease. He leaned in close to George. "It worked wonders, you know."

George lifted one eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes, Hood is dead." Vaisey cackled before backing up, shaking hands with George. "Right then, I'll get the tick to you in one week, and so you will sign at the same time."

"Ah, but we will see about that." George winked at him before swiftly opening the door, gesturing for Edward to go out first. Before shutting the door, George said, "One week." With that, he slammed the door, leaving a frowning Sherriff.

As soon as the door had closed, it opened again. In the doorway was Gisborne, and beside him, a merchant.

"Ah, Gisborne." Vaisey said, moving back towards his desk. "And, oh, what's the name…" He snapped his fingers.

"Franklin, sir." The merchant said proudly. He moved in the doorway, pushing past Gisborne. Gisborne growled at him, showing pure hatred towards the man. The hefty, scraggly man made his way to the desk, bending down on one knee in front of it. "I have served your will."

"Um, Gisborne," Vaisey eyed the man, head held down, with confusion. "explain."

Gisborne moved past Franklin and behind Vaisey's desk. "You asked this peasant to keep an eye on Hood." Gisborne looked down on the man, who was now lifting his head up. "Though, a better choice could have been made."

Vaisey nodded his head rapidly. "A better choice indeed." He agreed. "Now, peasant man, what is the news on our faithful outlaw?"

Franklin hurriedly got to his feet, though it took him a while. His heaviness wanted to keep him anchored to the ground. "My lord, only yesterday it was I saw Robin, and his band of outlaws. They attacked me wagon, took all of the pounds."

"And did he seem different, ill or confused?" Vaisey asked. He leaned forward.

"Ah, but he did seem a wee bit off." Franklin said. He leaned in close to Vaisey, who backed his head away in disgust. "Right before they left, he seemed unfocused. One of the men, I don't recall the name, had asked if he was feeling alright." He smiled, only a few teeth remained in his mouth.

Vaisey grinned, despite the horrible stench that came from the other man's mouth. "So, it does work." He looked off towards the window.

Gisborne rolled his eyes. "I don't see why we didn't just kill him on the stake." He crossed his arms and leaned against the window sill Vaisey was staring at.

"Oh, where would be the fun in that." Vaisey said, looking at Gisborne with gleaming eyes. "Besides, I have a surprise for you."

Gisborne lifted an eyebrow. "And I'm sure it will be most pleasant." He said sarcastically. He got off the sill and made his way to the door. "I'll have to hear of it later though. Marian is awaiting me for breakfast." Gisborne left with the second slamming of the door, something Vaisey was getting quite tired of.

"Lord?" Franklin was still standing in front of the desk, eyeing Vaisey with questions. "You did agree to give me a few pounds."

"I did, did I?" Vaisey said, walking over to Franklin. He laid one hand on his shoulder. "Well I do believe we'll have to get you some then."

"Well, yes sir." Franklin nodded his head appreciatively.

"After Robin is dead."

"Robin?" Will called out for the fifth time. He wiped his brow, which was dripping in sweat. Even though it was early in the morning, and only spring time, the heat this year was getting hotter and hotter by the hour. Doesn't really help the situation. Will thought.

When he had awoken this morning, he hadn't noticed anything different. Being the first one up, he began to make breakfast, some rabbit he had caught a month ago. While he was cooking, everybody began to wake due to the sweet aroma of the hare. They had all been groggy and unaware of anything at first, but soon they all heard Tuck ask the question.

"Where's Robin?"

Just a second after he had asked, Allan said, "Much isn't here either." That's when they began searching. They knew from the past that neither of them ever went off at such an early hour of the morning, and neither had gone anywhere the night before. While looking, Will had found Much's cap on the ground, right by his bed.

"He never goes without it." He had said. That's when Little John took control. He split the gang up into three groups. Tuck and Djaq were to head north, Allan and John were heading south, and Will went by himself towards the east. He had been searching for a good hour, and was getting quite tired.

"Much?" He yelled again. He sped up his pace. He was worried for his two friends, who knew what had happened to them? Several things ran through Will's mind, but he pushed them out. He had to think positive, to keep going.

"Robin? Much?" Will started into a trot. He dashed past trees, leaving broken brush behind him. He snatched vines out of his way, though some of them caught him on the face, leaving red marks. He brushed the pain off and kept going.

After another thirty minutes, Will slowed his pace down. He knew he wasn't going exactly east now, but he had to cover every inch of the forest to find them. He stopped and laid his hands on his knees, bending over for a moment to catch his breath. He tugged the tie of his shirt undone, letting the shirt hang more freely on him. He then untied the neck part of it, letting wind go down his shirt to cool him off. He could feel the sweat coming through his shirt. He took out his flask of water and took a couple of sips before putting it back and starting again.

It wasn't another minute into walking again when he heard it. Faint and quiet, but he heard it. A cough. He stopped. He turned his head in the direction it came from, straining to hear. There it was again. He ran over to where he heard it. There, hidden by some bushes under a tree, lay Robin. Beside him was Much, snoring loudly. Will chuckled to himself, but stopped when he saw Robin's head.

"Robin?" Will called. Robin's eyes were closed. He could tell from here that he was covered in sweat, and so was Much. Robin was rolled away from Much, not exactly against the tree. Will walked over to them, bending down beside Robin.

"Robin?" Will lightly touched his shoulder. Immidiently his eyes flew open, gasping as he did. It took him a moment to find Will's face looming over him.

"Will?" He choked out. He coughed again.

Will Immidiently brought the flask out, holding the tip of it to Robin's mouth. "Here's some water." Robin drank it gratefully, but didn't drink it all. "Give some to Much." Robin began to sit up as Will got up and went over to Much. He tapped Much's shoulder, and he awoke with a giant snore.

"Who's…" Much began, but then he saw the flask held in front of him. He snatched it from Will's hand and drank the rest of it. When he was done he wiped his mouth and looked up at Will. "How did you find us?"

"Took me a while, trust that." He said smiling. "Why're you out here anyways? What happened to his head?" Will looked over at Robin, who was leaning against the tree now. He had his eyes closed and hand pressed to the wound on his head.

"Yes, well," Much began, "A bit of an accident you see." He looked over at Robin, looking for some help. When he got none he looked back at Will. "Robin had gotten anxious in the middle of the night, and he…took a walk. I followed him when I woke and didn't see him."

"And his head?" Will seemed to buy the story, or at least that's what Much hoped.

"He fell," Much stated, "on a…rock." Much tried not to look like he was lying, but his hesitations were making it seem so.

"Just…fell?" Will looked skeptical.

"Well, we were…running." Much said, cursing himself for bringing the lie out further. He had no idea where he was going with this.

"From?"

"From a…bear." Much bit down on his tongue.

"A bear." Will eyed him suspiciously.

"Yes, a bear." Much said. "It was quite large. When we got away we just…were so tired. We fell asleep here." Much rolled his own eyes at his own lie.

"I see." Will said, moving over to Robin, who was smiling to himself. He held back a chuckle at Much's cover up story. "Can you walk then?" Robin nodded his head, eyes still closed. He gently lifted himself up, with the help of the tree of course. Much followed suit, right beside Robin just in case.

"Shall we get back then?" Much said. "It's a bit too hot for my liking." He took his shirt from the ground and put it back on.

Robin pushed himself from the tree, catching himself when he almost stumbled onto the ground. He heaved a sigh of relief that Much or Will hadn't seen him. Robin positioned himself in the back when they began walking. Much and Will were in the front, though Much would look back at him with sad eyes every once in a while. Robin would just smile at him and stand straighter, trying to show him that he was doing fine. Much would smile back and turn his head back around. He somehow knew Robin didn't want to talk right now, so Much talked to Will to keep him from talking to Robin. Robin greatly appreciated it.

But now, Robin couldn't stand it. He was getting powerfully weary of walking and more sweat then he wanted was forming on his skin. He couldn't understand why he was feeling this way, but he kept going for Much's and Will's sake. He knew they were only a good thirty minutes walk from the camp, so he pushed forward. But he just couldn't…

Robin stopped. He put his hand against a tree beside him. He steadied himself, feeling dizzy. He laid his forehead against the tree and closed his eyes, trying to breathe slowly, to keep his heart's pace down. He heard the other's stop, then, a cold hand was placed on the back of his neck. It felt good against his hot and clammy skin. Right now, he didn't care who he was. He just wanted to lie down…

"Robin?" Much's voice rang through his ears, though it sounded distant. He decided not to answer it. He just kept focusing on breathing.

"Is he alright?" Will's voice this time. He sounded worried. It sounded like Much ignored Will's question and focused on Robin.

"Robin, do you need to sit?" Robin nodded his head without saying a word. Much took Robin's left arm while Will took the other. They gently lowered him to the ground. Robin, eyes still closed, leaned his whole body against the tree, feeling the comfort it gave to him.

"What really happened?" Will asked Much. Robin silently hoped Much wouldn't give in, but, of course…

"I'll tell you when we get back." Much's voice was low and hesitant. Robin knew Much didn't want to say it, but he also knew Much thought it was for his own good. Robin parted his lips, trying to say something, but nothing came out.

"He's getting pale." Will stated. Robin felt the cold hands again, though this time they were on his forehead. He flinched when they probed over his injury, and the owner of those hands obviously knew it hurt. They Immidiently left, and soon something was being wrapped around Robin's head. Then, hands found his back and leaned him forward, while somebody else took his vest off. Now, he was left with his white flannel shirt on.

"We need to get the others." Will said. Much nodded his head in agreement. Will got up from his sitting position and looked at Much. "I'll find them, get a stretcher, and come right back." Much only nodded his head again, he was still looking at his master. He was getting paler by the minute, and his breathing had gotten much slower. Too slow, Much thought. When Will had disappeared from hearing's sight, Much spoke.

"I'm sorry." He said.

Robin opened one eye. "It's okay." He mumbled lowly. He closed his eye again.

"It's just, I think there's something really wrong with you." Much started. "When John had found the tick, well, I just thought…"

"Vaisey." Robin whispered from nearly closed lips.

"Yeah." Much said. "We need to get you looked over, by somebody more professional."

Robin slowly shook his head. "I trust…them." Robin took a deep breath, the talking was giving him an even harder time breathing. When he exhaled, he started coughing.

"Robin." Much said. He placed a hand on Robin's chest, trying to help his former master. His coughs sounded horrid and sickly. When he was through, Much gasped.

"You…coughed up blood." He said slowly. Robin heard more ripping, and soon Much was wiping Robin's face. Robin opened his eyes halfway, looking at the bloody rag on the ground.

"I'm sorry." Robin said.

"You, sorry? About what?" Much asked, bewildered.

"I…for yesterday." Robin said incoherently.

"Ah, Robin, that's over." Much said, feeling guilty for some reason. "We just need to worry about right now."

Robin put his hand on his chest, feeling the slowing heart beat. "What's happening?" He opened his eyes and looked up at Much, who was looking down at him with a worried expression.

"Robin, please don't." Much said. "We're in the forest, you're hurt." Tears began to form in his eyes, and this time, he couldn't hold them back. He just couldn't stand seeing someone so strong seem so weak.

"Is Marian here?" He looked past Much, looking for her. When he didn't see her, he looked to the ground.

"No, she's not here." Much said, wiping his eyes. "But I am, I'm here." Much ran a hand through his own hair, trying not to bawl like a complete fool. How much longer was Will going to be?

"That's good." Robin said. "I wouldn't…want her…seeing me like this." Robin let his head fall down to his chest, too tired to keep it up anymore. He brought his other hand up to his stomach, making both arms encircle it. He felt tiny drops of sweat fall to his legs, then fall to the ground. He focused on not crying out from the pain his stomach felt right now.

"Much?" Will came running up to them, bending down beside them. The others came up behind him, John and Tuck carrying the stretcher. Djaq fell down beside them too, bringing her hands to Robin's face. "How is he?" Will asked.

"He…can't remember where he is." Much choked out. Djaq looked up at him with reassuring eyes. "We will take care of him." She promised. "Let's get him on the stretcher first though."

John and Tuck set the stretcher down on the ground near Robin and went over to him. They both got down, Djaq and Will making room for them. "Be careful with him." Much said.

Tuck nodded. He took Robin's legs while John took his shoulders. They lifted him up, causing him to groan out loud. As he was set on the stretcher, he opened his eyes. He looked around at all the faces staring at him. Djaq was kneeling beside him, smiling down at him.

"What…" He started, but couldn't finish the sentence. He couldn't make any words come out, his throat was too dry.

"Shhh." Djaq hushed him. "Will, give me the water." Will handed Djaq the flask. She gently lifted it to Robin's mouth, helping him part his lips. He let the water flow in his mouth and down his throat. But then, he closed his lips.

"Give some to Much." He said. Djaq turned her head towards Much with a questioning look. He frowned and shrugged.

"It's what he said to me when I first found them." Will spoke up. "He must be confused about what's happening." Djaq nodded her head in understanding.

"Right then, let's lift him up." Tuck said. Djaq backed away and let him and John lift Robin up, causing him to groan once more. Allan and Will moved in beside them and each took a pole attached to the stretcher, making it easier to carry. Together, they started walking back to camp. Djaq walked in the front, leading the way back, while Much walked beside his master, holding his hand.

George sat heavily in a giant green chair, sighing with the comfort it brought. He kicked his boots off and brought his feet up to rest on the stool. He closed his eyes, trying to enjoy a moment's rest. Today had been hard, what with arguing with Vaisey for nearly half the morning. After that, he and Edward had gone down to breakfast, satisfied with what they were served. Full on pork and eggs, George had gone to his room, while Edward went to his. All George wanted to do now was relax, and forget everything that was going on…

"George!" Edward appeared in the doorway of his room, putting his hands against the frame. George's eyes flew open, startled by the shout. "She's on her way here."

"What?" George sat up in the chair. "Who's on their way?"

Edward stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. "Anne." He whispered. "She lied about the letter."

"Wait, she's coming here?" George's eyes got wide. "To the castle?"

Edward shook his head. "No, she's on her way to Locksley," He paused and leaned in close, "To help Robin."

George's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He abruptly stood and started pacing "But, why? How?" He looked over at Edward with eager eyes.

"She found out about the tick, she's going to save him." He said. "I believe she overheard you and Vaisey."

"That little brat!" George yelled. This time, he whispered. "You have to go get her."

"Me?" Edward looked surprised. "Why not you? She's your daughter."

George shook his head and walked over to the window. "I can't, now can I? You've got the same powers, you'd find her easily." He looked back at Edward, who was about to protest. "You'll do it, or the deal is off." He looked sternly at him.

"I…you can't do that." He stuttered. "You just said, I'm more powerful than you. I could easily take you out, right here, right now." He lowered his voice. "It was a deal."

"Well, if you want it, then go get my daughter." George growled. "Otherwise, I'll kill him myself, and then blame it on you." He walked over to Edward. "I don't think the killing of the Sherriff of Nottingham would be hard to blame on someone so…low in life." He looked the other man up and down, emphasizing the ragged clothes he was wearing. "Then I'll have all three lands, instead of the original two." He put a finger on Edward's chest. "You'll go to the dungeons; probably the one in the land you were going to rule."

Edward held his fist back. He glowered his eyes, gritting his teeth. "I'll get her." With that, he whipped around and stormed out the door.

He was extremely cold. No, freezing is more like it. He didn't understand where it was coming from. Maybe the wind? No, I don't feel a breeze hitting against my body. Well it had to be the temperature. But the last time I checked, it was a million degrees outside. If it wasn't either of them, then what could it be? Either way, it was cold, and he didn't like it.

He wished he was in front of a fire. He wished he was warm under soft blankets back in his own home, back in Locksley. Maybe he could even be snuggling against his wife, smelling the sweet scent of her bathing wash in her hair. Her hands would be over his, rubbing them to keep them warm also. He could even see children, running in front of them, playing a game of catch. Two boys and one little girl. One of the boys, Smith, would be teasing his younger sister, flipping her hair and poking her in the ribs. She would start crying, and the father would get up and toss her in the air. She would giggle and hug his neck tight, telling him how much she loved him. She would kiss his cheek and put her hand on his beard. She would laugh and say, "Daddy, you need to get rid of that." Daddy would laugh and tell her he's had it for ages, and his wife would get up and kiss the lips between his beard. She would look into his eyes and say, "I love you, Robin."

"Robin." He shifted his body to the left, groaning out silently. Someone was calling his name, but he really didn't want to answer. He wanted to dream again. He wanted to see his beautiful wife and children. He didn't want to come back to reality. He was happy in his dream. He wasn't hurt, he wasn't worried, and he most certainly wasn't freezing to death. He wanted to tell that to whoever was disturbing him, but he didn't want to risk speaking; he just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Robin, wake up." This constant badgering! Could he ever just have a moment's peace? He didn't care who it was or what they wanted, he just wanted to be left alone. He tried to moan again, to tell them that he was being bothered, but it came out more like a grunt.

"He's waking up." Who was that speaking? Was it Much, or was it Allan or Will? It had to be a guy; it was way too deep to be a woman. Suddenly, he felt hands on his head. They were gentle and warm, and he sighed at the touch of them. He heard someone whispering something.

"Come now Robin, it's time to wake up." Fine! I'm awake! What more do you want from me?

"Open your eyes." Of course. Robin opened one eye, and then the other. It took him a while to focus, but soon he saw several faces swimming in front of him. Some of them were smiling, and the others looked worried. Why are they worried?

"Robin, good to see you in the living." That was Tuck. Robin shifted his eyes over to him and tried to smile, but no such luck. He could barely move his lips. He looked over on the other side and saw Much and Djaq. Much had the widest grin on his face, while Djaq showed only a slight one. Was she scared about something? Djaq's face fell out of view. In place was Will, looking more worried than ever. Again, he tried to say something, but nothing came out. He was becoming very frustrated with himself. Why couldn't he move?

As soon as he thought that, a loud ringing started up in his ears. He scrunched his face, trying to get it to go away. No luck. It kept getting louder and louder. He brought both of his hands up to each ear, pressing down on them. He couldn't figure out where the ringing was coming from. He looked over at Much to see if he heard it to. Instead of seeing him with his hands to his ears, he saw him with a worried expression. And was he moving his lips? Why couldn't he hear what he was saying? Robin looked over at Tuck. He had the same expression on his face. He saw Tuck look over at Much. He moved his lips, but nothing reached Robin's ears. What was happening?

Robin's breathing started to get fast. He started moving his eyes around frantically, looking for the source of the noise. He had to get it to stop! He tried to sit up in his bed but was met with a strong hand that pushed him back down. It was John. He looked up at him with pleading eyes, trying to communicate with him. John looked back at him, but quickly looked away and to Djaq, who was saying something to him. John nodded his head as Robin tried to get up again. John laid his hands on Robin's chest and tried to push him back down again, but this time Robin fought. He tried to push past John's grip, but he was just too weak. He finally gave up and plopped back down, breathing heavily.

"He's hyperventilating." Djaq said, moving in beside John. He still had his hands on Robin's chest, trying to calm him. "We need to get him to calm down."

"But…how?" Much asked. He himself was starting to hyperventilate. Robin had gone deaf!

"Just show him that you're there." Djaq said. "Try to get his eyes to focus on yours."

Much nodded his head. He looked back at Robin. "Robin, it's okay. Just look at me. It's okay." Robin obviously didn't understand and continued to fight against John. He was now putting all of his strength into prying his hands off of him.

"Robin!" John said. "Stop it!" He tried to pin his hands down, but Robin just started kicking. Will came over and took care of that. He took hold of his legs and pinned them down, showing great strength considering his puny form.

"Allan, get me a pen and parchment!" Djaq called behind her. The former thief got up from his sitting position and began searching for the two items. He soon came back with them, handing them to Djaq. She sat back away from Robin's bed and lay the parchment on a crate beside it. She began to write something down on it.

"What're you doing?" Allan asked. He was standing near them, watching the four men keep their leader down.

"I'm finding a way to communicate to Robin." She said flaty. She was now done writing and went back over to Robin. She kneeled beside his bed and got in front of his face. She looked at him with calm eyes as she laid one of her hands on his chest, showing him she wasn't there to harm him. She took the paper she was holding and placed it in front of him to read.

Robin stopped fighting.

"How'd you do that?" Much asked, sitting back on his heels. He was panting from the effort it took to hold his master down. Robin was now bringing his hands to his face and rubbing it. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I told him to stop." Djaq shrugged. She let the paper fall next to her, and Much leaned over to read it.

Robin, stop fighting. It is okay. You have gone deaf but we will fix it. I promise.


	10. Chapter 10

"I don't even know why I try!" Anne yelled at the top of her lungs. She quickly fell to the ground with a sigh, crossing her arms. She was quickly giving up on all hope; sure that she would never find Robin. Once she had gotten to Locksley only two days ago, she had asked everybody there of his whereabouts. They had spoken of him being there only a few days ago, captured by the Sherriff. She was told he was released soon after, which confused Anne. But she hadn't given up then, she still continued to question people, but they wouldn't answer. They seemed scared, shaken by the thought of giving information to a stranger who might as well be a spy from the castle. After so much failure at finding out anything, Anne had retreated to the forest, Sherwood Forest to be exact. She had to stay hidden.

Anne huffed again; how would she ever find Robin? She hadn't the slightest idea as to where he stayed. Finding him would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Hopeless.

Anne opened her satchel and pulled out some bread someone kind had given her. She took a few bites, but quickly lost her appetite. She put it back in and swallowed an invisible lump in her throat. Anger leaving her system, fear and anxiety quickly set in. How much longer did she have? How long could Robin last without her? Was he even still alive? Shaking her head she cleared the negative thoughts. She closed her eyes and started to work through her mind as to where he might be. Focusing on Robin, she tried to think of where he might hide, places that would fit his needs. A place the Sherriff would never find him, hidden.

Suddenly, a sensation started running through her body, leaving it tingly in each spot. Eyes still closed, her mind started acting on its own. In her head images flashed by, all a blur. She gripped the ground beneath her, unsure of what was happening. Though, she didn't open her eyes; she somehow knew she couldn't. As the blurriness continued, objects began to make form. Trees with green leaves started appearing, along with the grass and sky. She could make out little animals running through the forest, and she was…following them. She wound through the trees, getting faster and faster. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she was standing in the middle of what seemed to be a camp. She saw several people hovered around a bed. She walked over and looked down, to find a young man laying on the bed, sleeping. She could tell he was ill, sweat beads were running down his head, and his breathing was ragged and rough. She leaned farther down, reaching out her hand to place on the man's forehead. She got an inch away when…

Anne's eyes shot open. She started breathing heavily and quickly, placing her hand on her head. What had just happened? Was that a dream? Or was it…

"A vision." Anne muttered. She had just had a vision of where Robin was. She couldn't believe it! That had never happened to her! She hadn't even ever heard of it. Had mother ever mentioned it? Certainly not, she would've remembered it. Anne quickly got to her feet, ready to run. She knew where to go, it was like an inner compass was placed inside her. Just as she picked up her satchel though, she heard a scream.

Anne turned towards the direction it came from, Locksley. More screams proceeded to reach her ears, and she shuddered at the pain and fear that was laced in them. She looked back towards the other direction, where Robin's camp was, then back towards Locksley. She didn't even think twice about it. Anne slung the satchel over her shoulders and began running in the direction of the village she had just come from. She had to find out what was going on, and hopefully stop it.

~~~RH~~~

Robin sat up in his bed, legs crossed and hands folded. He watched as people were scurrying around him, busy with whatever they could do. He had only woken yesterday morning to find out he was deaf. He proceeded to be a little under the weather the rest of the day, then just this morning it had gotten worse. His head was warm, and he continued to shake even though it was a million degrees outside. Djaq had brought him medicine to take, but it had yet to cure him. Now it was early afternoon, and it seemed as if everyone where having a mental breakdown. Only a few minutes ago Allan and Will had begun gathering wood for the fire. The way they threw the wood while glancing at Robin made him slightly angry, as if he were a freak show. Little John had been gone for most of the morning, but Robin hadn't the slightest idea where. Of course, how would he ever know what was going on, he was deaf now. Djaq and Tuck were sitting in a corner of the camp with tons of liquids and utensils. They were talking, but Robin couldn't read their lips to find out what about. Much, unlike the others, unfortunately, had been sitting by his side all day.

Robin looked over at Much, who was twiddling with his fingers. He had a look of sadness on his face, but Robin had no sympathy. He was just so angry at this point, he couldn't care less about anybody or anything. What was the point in anything anymore now that he was deaf? He couldn't steal anymore, and he could hardly help England. And to top it all off, Much had somehow been annoying him even though he couldn't hear him. Somewhere in Much's brain he thought Robin could hear him on certain occasions. He would start talking, than he would find Robin glaring at him. He then stopped and mouthed what seemed to be an apology.

Robin watched as Will came back with more wood. As he turned to look at Robin for the umpteenth time, Robin's fuse blew.

"You can stop staring now!" Robin yelled. "Isn't much help to anyone!" With that he turned around in his bed, facing the other direction. He would've gotten up and left, but he had written orders from Djaq that he couldn't leave bed. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and let them hit the ground.

All eyes had turned to Robin when he had said that. It was the first time he had spoken since yesterday morning. Much was gaping at him, and the rest had stopped what they were doing. They had no idea he was this angry. It had shown a little, but to yell at someone like that? Much heard Robin cough a few times, then take a deep breath. He laid a hand on Robin's shoulder, but he pushed it off.

"Just leave him be for a while." Djaq said. "He needs to calm down and think." Much nodded and got up from the bed. He walked over to his cot and sat down. He picked up his cap from the ground he had never gotten and began dusting it off.

"Will, don't take it defensively, he just needs to cool down." Djaq said. Will only stared at her for a moment before continuing what he was doing.

After a while, Will and Allan had finished gathering wood and Little John had come back from hunting. Now they all sat it different places, occupying themselves with something to do. Usually they would be out doing something as the gang, but with Robin still sick, they were left bored and tired. As John sat on a stump and began carving a piece of wood, they all heard Robin start coughing. When he continued on longer than usual, Much quickly got up and went to his side. Djaq and Tuck followed quickly behind him.

"Much, get me some water." Djaq ordered to the former man servant. She sat down on the bed beside Robin and laid a hand on his back. She looked into his face as he continued to bend over in horrible pain from the continuous fit. Just as Much brought the water, Djaq noticed something on Robin's sleeve.

"Is that blood?" Tuck questioned with concern. He bent down in front of Robin, who had his eyes closed and head back in the air, trying to breathe after the fit had stopped.

"Where?" Much nearly yelled.

Djaq and Tuck both pointed to Robin's sleeve at the same time. "This can't be good." Djaq whispered. At that time, Robin opened his eyes and looked at the people gathered around him with a questioning look. He looked towards where they were all staring at and sighed. Did this really have to happen to him? Just then, a wave of dizziness overcame him. He bent over from lack of clear vision. He felt someone's hand on his back, but ignored it. He tried to focus on keeping his breakfast inside of him. When he knew he couldn't, he quickly shoved everybody out of the way and ran towards outer camp. Once out of the vision of the others, he fell to the ground and let everything he had eaten recently out. When everything was gone he still continued to heave, causing heavy pain in his chest.

"Robin!" Much yelled. He ran towards the way he had gone, leaving the others to follow behind him. He found Robin on his knees, bending over with his hands on his chest. He knew he was in pain and Immidiently bent down in front of him. He placed his hands on his shoulders and lifted him to look at him. Robin only grimaced and pulled away, the pain unbearable. "Robin, please, tell me what's wrong." He knew he couldn't hear him, and it angered him that he couldn't find out what was wrong, let alone help him.

"Much!" Djaq came running up behind them, along with the others. "Is he okay?" She kneeled down beside him, and Robin suddenly felt very crowded. Overwhelmed by the inclosher, he began to heave again, nothing coming out. He began to quietly cry out, to anybody who could hear him. Much's eyes widened, he couldn't stand seeing his master like this. Tears began to form in his eyes, just as they had only a day ago in the middle of the woods. He couldn't understand any of this. Why couldn't they find out what was wrong with him? It killed him to not be able to do something!

"Hey, who's that?" Allan said. Everyone turned towards the way Allan was pointing. It seemed to be a girl running towards them. Little John instinctively got in front of Robin, hitting his staff against the ground. He looked ready to fight at any cost, no matter who it was.

"Help!" The girl screamed as she got closer. Djaq put her arm around Robin's shoulder as she looked up at the young girl who was now standing before John, panting. She looked wildly around at everyone there, her eyes finally landing on Robin, who was painfully looking up at the girl. His body was covered in sweat and his face looked pained and hurt.

"What…is he okay?" The girl asked with concern laced in her voice. She tried to get around John, but he held firm to where he was. Returning her attention to him, she began to plead. "Please, the village is in trouble. They need your help."

"What village? What's happened?" Tuck quickly walked around John and grabbed the girl's arms as she began to breakdown. Tears flowed from her eyes and down her cheeks, unknown stress and worry was etched in her face. "What has happened?"

"Locksley is burning…down." She cried. "Someone's…started it." She suddenly looked up and wiped the tears away. "They've got people locked in a barn!"

Allan and Will were already running back to camp to get everybody's weapons. Robin watched as everybody grabbed their weapons from the both of them. Will had taken Robin's bow to use, knowing it would be far more helpful than his axe. He had also taken a parchment and quill for Djaq. She thanked him and began writing down an explanation to Robin.

As she wrote, she turned to Much. "You stay here with him, make sure he gets to his bed." She finished writing and handed it to Robin, who shakily took it from her. Still bent over in pain, he read the words written. His eyes widened. He quickly looked up to see everybody getting ready to go.

Energy and love for his home overcoming his pain, Robin suddenly jumped up. Knowing they would try to stop him, he knew he had to hurry. In one swift moment, he snatched the bow and arrows from Will's hand.

"Robin, stop!" Will yelled. Djaq jumped up and took her weapon. "Get him!" She directed to John. But before he could even touch Robin's fabric with his fingertips, he was already running ahead of them. Everyone else began to run also, including Anne. They all shouted for him to stop, but knew he couldn't hear them.

~~~RH~~~

Robin's heart was pounding, sending vibrations up and down his body. Every time his feet hit the ground pain would shoot up his leg and spread out to his torso. His breath was coming out short and shallow. And to top it all off, his head was also in excruciating pain.

But he couldn't stop.

As he got nearer to his home village, he began to smell something. It was thick and made his stomach churn. He coughed in reaction to it, and realized it was smoke. He could see billows of it just above the tree line. He shuttered at the thought of hearing what was going on, screams of agony and fear.

Just as the clearing came into view, he felt something on his shoulder. Before he could stop and look, he was thrown backwards onto the ground. He groaned in response, and soon felt hands on his chest. He looked up to find Little John glaring at him. He had to think fast.

Robin began to groan and cough. Little John's eyes widened and his eyebrows lifted. Robin tucked his arms around his stomach and rolled over to his side. He continued to make those sounds, making it believable. He closed his eyes, hoping to throw him off. Little John backed away just as Robin peaked. The poor guy, Robin thought. He knew it was now or never. Without giving Little John a moment's time to think, Robin jumped up from his position. He quickly threw John to the side, gave him an apologetic look, and took off again.

As Robin came out of the clearing, he looked behind him to see Tuck helping John up. Robin had a sudden guilty feeling run through him, but he had to make John believe that he had hurt him when he had pulled him back. He knew deep down that John was sensitive, and to think that he had hurt his friend, his leader, would have devastated him.

When he came around the first little house, he stopped in his tracks. The sight before him was unbelieveable, devastating to look at. Robin's head began to swim at the looks of his village. House after house was on fire, including the barns, and to Robin's disgust, the animals. As he began to jog to the first house he saw, something came running by. Robin wanted to believe that it was a cart on fire, but he knew it wasn't. Robin stopped and looked behind him to find an older man lying on the ground, burning. Torn between guilt and anger, Robin went on to where he was heading.

As he walked into the house, the first thing he saw was a child. Hiding between a barrel and a bed, he looked shaken and nearly scared out of his wits. Robin made his way between beams that had fallen to the little boy. As he got nearer he noticed several burn marks on the young boy. Robin cursed silently as he bent down in front of him.

"It's alright." Robin whispered as he held out his arms. "I'm going to get you out." The boy looked hesitant at first, but reluctantly scooted forward to where Robin could pick him up. He scooped the boy up and made his way to the outside. Just as he got to the door though, he felt a wave of dizziness come over him. Wishing that his pains would just leave him for this moment, Robin hurried outside, where he suddenly fell to his knees. The boy, who was still in his arms, began to tap Robin's face. Robin shook his head out of his daze and set the boy down.

"Now you run to the forest." Robin said. "Don't stop, and don't turn around. Just run." The boy Immidiently took off towards that direction, leaving Robin on his own.

Quickly standing up, Robin set out to the next house. But before he got there, he noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. Robin turned toward it, cursing at finding out what it was. Unlike the rest of the people in the village, who were running like crazy to the cover of the woods, this person was sitting on his horse, watching it all go on. He was facing the other way, making it hard to find out who it was. But Robin knew, there was no doubt. It was Gisborne.

Robin ran towards him. He trusted that the rest of the gang would help everybody in the houses. He knew he couldn't let Gisborne get away, not this time. Robin ran to one of the houses right next to the greasy haired man. He found a ladder on it and began to climb. Once at the top, he crept over to the edge of it, targeting his aim. He pulled out one of the arrows and put it on the bow. He carefully pointed it at his most hated enemy, and shot.

He couldn't hear it, but he knew by the way his mouth moved that he had yelled loudly. The arrow had landed in his arm, just above his elbow. Shocked and dazed, Gisborne grabbed his arm and leaned forward in pain. Taking this as his chance, Robin put his bow over his shoulder and jumped.

The pain that ran through him at that time was unexplainable, unbearable. Robin jumped straight towards Gisborne, knocking both himself and Gisborne to the ground. Robin just lay there for a moment. He blinked several times before he had the strength to lift his head. He saw Gisborne about a yard away from him, also trying to regain his strength. Robin knew he didn't have time; he hastily got up and ran towards him. He took Gisborne by his shirt and held him to his face.

"You're a sick man." He said with his teeth clenched and eyebrows furrowed. "And I'm not letting you go this time." With that he sent his right fist into Gisborne's jaw, making him spit blood. Gisborne then brought his feet up and kicked Robin in the stomach, sending him backwards. Just as Robin regained his composure, he shot up again. He started in the direction that Gisborne was, but found that he wasn't there. Robin looked around, and stared in disbelief at what he found. Was Gisborne…running?

Robin took off after him. "You're a coward! A disgusting coward!" Robin yelled. He quickened his speed, trying to gain on him. They were out of sight of the village in just minutes. Rounding a corner, Robin saw where Gisborne was heading, and soon regretted every action he had made today.

There, all standing around Gisborne himself, were at least ten guards. They made a half circle surrounding him. Gisborne stood in the middle, smirking at Robin. Behind him was a large lake, with several jutted rocks pointed outwards. Gisborne moved his lips, but nothing reached Robin's ears. When Robin didn't respond, but only stood there in disbelief, Gisborne began laughing. He must've figured it out.

Robin knew he had to run. He knew he had no chance against eleven armed men with only three arrows. He turned around at once, ready to run back to where he came from. But there standing in his way, of course, where ten other guards, all with ten foot spears in their hands. And in one moment, they all began to make a full circle around him, enclosing him, leaving him with nowhere to run.

This is a fight or die situation, his conscious thought. But once he thought that, all of the guards pulled out automatic bows, all pointing in one direction. At him.

"Shit."


	11. Chapter 11

"No, Robin!" A distant voice rang through the trees. Much only faintly heard it as he continued to rush through the forest. Ahead of him was Allan and Will, both very much in shape and healthy. Behind him were Tuck, Djaq, and the mysterious girl. Much, having a little bit of muscle due to the war, was surprised that he was as quick as he was. In no other time, by all means, would he be going this fast. It was the knowing that Robin was in danger that pushed him, that gave him that extra stride. Of course, no one was as fast as Little John, who had run ahead to try to catch Robin. But from the sounds of it, and the looks as they all came to the edge of the forest where John was, he hadn't succeeded.

"Come on." Will yelled as he came up to John. John took his staff from the ground and fell in between Allan and Much. As they exited the woods and came to the beginning of the village, they all stopped and stared.

"Heaven mercy." Tuck said behind Much. He obviously just came out of the forest, and had seen the looks of the village. Much nodded in agreement. He had no words to say.

"Who could have done this?" Allan asked. In his eyes the reflection of the dancing flames atop the homes of the screaming families glazed like a mirror reflection.

"Let's not take time to figure it out, we have to help." Djaq said as she came up behind them. Everyone nodded and split up, each going into different houses and to random people who were too scared to move. Much, instead of heading towards a house, began scanning the area for Robin. He started trotting, calling out his name every second. He watched as Will came out of a house carrying two children. A mother, supported by Tuck, came out after. The woman looked severely burned, her face was ashen and she limped on her left leg. Much knew he should be helping the people, or putting out the fire, but he had to find his master, he had to find Robin.

"You're a coward!" A yell from across the village reached Much's ears. Even over the crying, screaming, and yelling, Much knew who it was. Much found his eyes scanning the area he heard it from. His eyes stopped on two people running, and by the looks of it one was chasing the other.

"Robin!" Much yelled, taking off in the same direction. Robin and the other person soon turned a corner and disappeared behind the other side of the woods. Much sped up, he couldn't let Robin out of his sight again.

"Much!" Someone yelled his name. Much stopped and looked behind him. Little John and the girl were standing there, panting and sweating, ash taking over their whole bodies. "Have you found Robin?"

Much nodded. "Come on." They all started to run.

~~~RH~~~

"Are you ready to die then?" Gisborne laughed with a snarled smile. He stood outside of the circle, walking around it with a stride of gleefulness and accomplishment. "I told the Sherriff that we should have killed you long ago," Gisborne stopped and glared off into the distance, "But of course he had to take the long way."

"What're you talking about?" Robin asked with his own snarl. He kept his eyes trained Gisborne, but ever so often took a glance at the many guards that encircled him. Auto bows at the ready, they all seemed perfectly bored and tired, not much like the man in charge here.

"I mean, you've been sick for a while, haven't you?" Gisborne asked. "Trouble breathing, vomiting, having…memory loss?" He smiled at the last word, sending anger through Robin.

"How'd you know?" Robin asked. "There weren't soldiers hiding on the forest, filling in for you because you're scared of your own sword."

"Now shut…"

"Or did you come?" Robin said. "Maybe you are more man then I thought. Though I don't think Marian would think so, she has quite the taste for outlaws you know…"

"Enough!" Gisborne ran through the armed men and straight up to Robin. He took him by the throat. "I'm sure Marian is far better than that." He whispered to his face. "She wants a man with something, more then what you've got." He thrusted Robin away from him. "You're just a worthless outlaw who's got nothing on him, no money, no house. A woman needs a strong man to lead her, show her what's right in the world."

"And she also needs someone who's not off terrorizing villages just to get a man and kill him!" Robin yelled at the top of his lungs. He strided over to Gisborne. "A man who'll love her," He pushed Gisborne back, "care for her", He brought his bow up and pointed it at Gisborne, "And be there for her instead of killing off everybody he sees!" Robin's face showed so much anger, some of the guards lowered their bows just the slightest.

"Ah," Gisborne chuckled, "I seen you've figured it all out then." He looked up at Robin, who at that time had just had a wave of pain course through him, making him close his eyes and flinch. "Oh, it's working then, is it?" Gisborne pushed the weapon out of his face, sending it to the ground. Robin merely stood there with his hand around his stomach, slightly bent over. "I've been to no trouble of course to find the right way to kill you."

Robin's eyes opened at his words. He didn't speak though, he just stared at Gisborne with a deathly glare.

"Yes, I knew the death would be simple and self inducing, so I needn't have worried over the way your life ends." At this he reached back into his sheath and pulled out a hand knife. "But, I had to make it special, didn't I?" At his words, Robin heard a scream. He straightened up and looked around him. Two people emerged from the woods, one being held by the other. The taller one, the one who seemed to be a guard, had his hands around a young girl with dark brown hair's arms.

"Marian!" Robin screamed. He started to go after them, but Gisborne took him by the arm and pulled him back. Given his lack of strength at the moment, Robin had no choice but to not fight. "You're sick." Robin spat. Gisborne chuckled.

"Robin!" Marian yelled. The guard brought Marian into the circle of other guards and threw her to the ground. She Immidiently got up and ran over to him.

"Ah, not so fast." Gisborne said, throwing Robin to the side and taking a hold of Marian. She struggled in his grip. "You wouldn't want to interfere."

"Let go," She screamed, beating him with her fists, "Let go you monster!" Gisborne tightened his grip on her wrist and made her stop, a slight look of pain ran through her face.

Robin cursed at Gisborne, making him throw Marian down to the ground. She stayed there though this time, a look of pain on her face.

"I'm getting sick of this…annoyance!" Gisborne yelled. Robin glared at him. Just as he was about to say something though, something caught his attention on his right. He let his eyes wander in that direction, and smiled at what he saw.

"Well, quite honestly, I am too." Robin said, taking a step back from Gisborne. "This annoyance I find in front of me has quite the temper, and if I may say so myself, quite the…breath." Robin smiled as he took another step back. He watched as Gisborne shown pure hatred on his face, but at the same time a wave of pain shot through too. He gripped his arm.

"I see pain doesn't cease to stop on just one person." Robin mocked.

"Robin, stop it." Marian pleaded. "You're making it worse."

"She's right." Gisborne growled.

Several things happened next. Just as Gisborne lunged towards Robin, several shouts erraided from the forest. Three people came running out. Much and Little John drew their weapons as they yelled at the top of their lungs. The girl seemed to have nothing, but Robin couldn't concentrate on her at the moment, for Gisborne was on him in a second. Robin fell to the ground as Gisborne threw him. He rolled away just as Gisborne brought the knife to the ground. He hurriedly got up and maneuvered himself away from Gisborne. He had to get his bow if he was going to fight. Swerving through the fight, he only hoped that the three saviors could fight off these guards. It would certainly take a miracle.

"Robin!" Marian ran up to him, taking Robin by the waist. "Are you okay?" She scanned his bodfy for any injury.

"I'm fine." Robin said quickly. "But you have to get out of here." Marian began to open her mouth to protest, but Robin brought his finger to her lips. "No, you must go. Run to the camp and stay there. We'll be there as soon as we can." Marian would have usually protested, but she decided against it. Robin had to fight this, not her. She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek, leaving him flustered, then ran to the cover of the woods. Robin quickly recovered himself and remembered the task at hand. He started to run again through the raging battle.

Just as he dodged another blow from one of the men, he caught a glimpse of the stranger girl standing outside of the fight. She had her eyes closed and was muttering something. She has to be scared to death, Robin thought. Just as he thought it though, he heard several cries from behind him. He turned to see five men running away from the battle, all, to Robin's surprise, on fire. Robin turned back to the girl. She was now smiling, but as she found him looking at her, she stopped.

"Watch…" She began to scream, but Robin heard none of the rest.

Raking pain shot up his back, sending him to the ground in seconds. He crumpled in the dirt as several stings of pain immated from his lower back. He started to lose his breath just as he saw a boot come down on the ground beside his face. His vision began to blur as he felt hot breath against his neck. Robin cried out in anguish as someone took his shoulder.

"Doesn't feel so good, does it?" A dark voice sounded in his ear. "Being…stabbed and all."

~~~RH~~~

"No!" John yelled. He watched as Gisborne brought the knife into Robin's back, making Robin fall to the ground. He began to run over to him. He flinched as Robin yelled out in pain. Just as Gisborne brought his face to Robin's, and began to whisper something, Little John ran up to him and plunged his fist into Gisborne's face.

Gisborne fell back to the ground. He groaned in pain, and began to get up again, but John brought his fist down on him again.

"Much!" John yelled. Much, who had just brought his sword out of a man's stomach, looked over at John. "Robin!" He nodded his head towards the crumpled man on the ground. Much followed the direction and stopped breathing. Was that…

"Robin!" Much ran over to the fallen man, who was now trying to turn over onto his back. Much fell to the ground beside him, quickly taking Robin by the hand. "What's happened?" Robin could only groan in response. Failing to turn over, Robin let himself fall back onto his stomach, letting Much see the matter.

"My…God. No." Much stammered. He started to breathe heavily, his master had been stabbed! Much lifted Robin so that he was lying on his side. "Robin, you're fine. You're fine." He whispered to him. Tears began to flow down his face. Robin looked up at him and shook his head.

"Yes, you are!" Much nearly yelled. His voice sounded choked and throbbed. "We're going to get out of here." Much took Robin's hand again and looked over his shoulder. "John!"

John threw Gisborne to the ground for the last time and began to make his way over. All around him guards were beginning to get up slowly, anguished by the fury these four people had brought.

"We have to get out of here." John said as he came up to them. His face had no look he had ever held before. Worry, fear, and sadness spread clearly on his face. Without even thinking about it, he threw his staff to the ground and bent down beside Much. He gently took Robin under his arms and lifted him from the ground. Just as he did, the unknown girl came up.

"We have to go, now." She said. Some of the guards were now up and heading towards them. Much got off the ground, and just as the others did, began to run.

~~~RH~~~

Tuck, Allan, Will, and Djaq all stared across from each other. They all sat in a familiar holder, at least for three of them. The bottom of it was cold, it was dark outside, and screams continued to register in the background. They had of course been able to get most of the people to safety, at the least the ones who weren't already dead. And the fire was being put out, as they sat there, by the survivors of it. But the screams weren't of fear this time, they were of grief. They were wailing over lost loved ones, their children, family and friends.

But these four didn't have time to think of that. Right now, they had to figure out a way to get out, and most importantly, find out what happened to the others.

"They have to be okay." Allan said. "Or else they would be in here with us." Allan stood against the bars that contained them. They rattled each time the carraige lurched, making him move too.

"Of course." Djaq said. "They'll probably be in the woods, already figuring out a way to get us out." She sat on the ground with her legs crossed, certain of her opinion. She knew how Robin was, even when he was hurt, he was probably making a plan at this very moment.

"Well we can't be sure it'll happen tomorrow." Tuck said. "But yes, we will get out."

"They'll have to get Robin recovered if they're going to do anything." Will said. "And without you two…"

"It might be a while." Allan sighed.

They all sat in silence for a moment before Will spoke up. "Who was that girl?" He asked.

They all shrugged their shoulders. "I'm sure someone we can trust." Tuck said.

"I saw her, Much, and John run into the forest." Allan said. "I don't know what they were doing though. I couldn't follow; there was a family inside of one of the houses trapped."

"Maybe they found Robin." Will said.

"Maybe." Tuck whispered. "If anyone can watch over Robin though, it's the good Lord. Having doubt in him at this point is like stabbing yourself with a blade."

"Well if the good Lord is so good, then why are we here?" Allan sneered towards the Friar, indicating the cage they were in.

Tuck looked at Allan sincerely. "I believe everything happens for a reason. And if all fails in the end, there is one man right under God's strength."

"Who?" Will asked.

Tuck nodded. "Robin."

Okay people, here it is, chapter 12! Yeah, it's short, but I hope it was good enough. I already have everything planned out, so all the pleading and praying couldn't change my mind on what's going to happen. Just be prepared! And remember, REVIEW!


	12. Chapter 12

"He's going to be alright. He's going to be alright." Marian repeated out loud to herself over and over. She stood in the midst of the outlaw's camp, pacing ever so often to relieve her stress. She had only gotten there five minutes ago, and it was already getting to be late afternoon.

"He's going to be fine." Marian whispered one more time before she sighed and plopped onto Robin's own bed. She looked down at it and placed her hand on the animal skin cover. She stroked it a few times, smoothing out the wrinkles layered in it. She then turned and adjusted his makeshift pillow so that it was straight and fluffed.

"Please hurry." Marian said to herself again. The events of the day were making her on edge and worried about everything. Only this morning, as she was going down to breakfast, Sir Guy had come up to her and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride. Trying to be as polite as possible, Marian declined with a comforting smile. Just as she had turned though, a hand had taken her arm and pulled her away. Sir Guy dragged her all the way to the horse stables, where he scooped her up and placed her on a horse. She had screamed and hit, but nobody seemed to listen. A guard had come up then and mounted the same horse. Guy had given him instructions on where to take her, what to do with her, and when they would "make their appearance". Right before they left, Guy had tied her hands together and placed a towel around her mouth. They had ridden off quickly, probably so nobody would see the state she was in.

All of that had taken place in an hour, and the rest of the morning was spent sitting in the woods. The guard had just sat there; twiddling with a twig in his hands, and eventually took out lunch for himself. Just as afternoon came around, Marian had smelt something horrid and thick. She soon saw smoke coming through the tree tops, and she Immidiently knew where she was. Locksley.

The rest of what happened, well, Marian didn't want to think about it. When Gisborne had thrown her to the ground and went after Robin, she just wanted to die. She was sure it would be the end of him. But of course, he always did have a few tricks up his sleeve.

"I just hope he used one of them to get out of that mess." Marian said with a single tear.

~~~RH~~~

"Sir, he's gone."

"I know you blundering fool!" Gisborne yelled at one of the guards. Gisborne rubbed his head, a bump was already forming. He looked to the ground, searching for his knife.

"What is it you're looking for then?" Another guard asked.

Gisborne smiled. The knife wasn't there, which meant…

"He's injured." Gisborne looked up at them with a leader's face. "Scour the woods, search for him, and bring him back." He picked up his sword from the ground and began to make his way over to his saddled horse, hidden in the woods.

"Well, would the worse be if he was dead, or alive?" One of the men asked, walking over to him.

Gisborne turned around and smiled. "By all means, kill him if you get the chance." With that he mounted his horse and motioned for the men to go. All at once they began to jog towards the woods, swords and bows held high. Gisborne turned his horse the other way and started towards the still burning village. There was no longer screaming, but wailing and morning over lost loved ones and friends. Gisborne laughed at the thought of it. Surly, if Robin had died on the spot, he would've died knowing he had lost. That he had lost the war, his people's safety, and their lives. And most importantly, he had lost Marian.

Gisborne brought the horse to a stop. Marian. Where was she? He quickly dismounted and began to run back towards the lake.

"Marian!" He yelled. When he didn't see her in sight, he ran towards the woods. "Marian, come on. I'm sorry." He yelled again. When no one answered and he didn't see her, he cursed. He turned to a tree and hit it, cursing again at the pain it brought him. Leaving the woods with a huff, he swore in his head, that if he ever found Marian, he would make her pay.

~~~RH~~~

"How much further?" Much huffed out. His pace was lowering each minute they kept running. They had at least gone a mile, or maybe more, and he didn't hear anybody chasing them. Little John was just a little bit in front of Much, and the girl, Anne as she had said when they began to run, was just behind Much. Of course, Little John would be running much faster if he wasn't carrying anything. An extra person did tend to add difficulty.

"We have to stop." Much said again when John didn't answer. "We have to help Robin." As soon as he said it, John stopped. Much halted behind him, and Anne nearly ran into him. John walked over to a tree and laid Robin beside it. Much was by his side in an instant.

"Robin, open your eyes." Much urged him. Robin only responded by making a choking sound. Much cringed at it. Robin's face was getting paler by the second and his breathing was becoming hitched. Much took off the outer layer of his shirt and placed it to the side. He then reached his hand around to Robin's back, and with his eyes closed and breath held, gently pulled the knife out. As quickly as he had come over to Robin only moments ago, Much had placed the shirt against Robin's back. Then with shaky hands he maneuvered Robin so that he was lying on his back. Robin jerked at the movement, but still didn't open his eyes. His hair was already drenched and Much could see a trickle of blood on the side of his mouth.

"I, I don't know what to do now." Much cried. He turned his head around to the others, looking for some help. John was standing directly behind him, looming over the set of them. His face was contorted and showed complete horror at the sight before him. When Much looked up at him, John simply closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Anne, you must know what to do." Much found her a few feet away, reaching into a bag. "Anne." Much said again. Anne grabbed what she was looking for and quickly came up beside Robin. She laid out what she had gotten, a book, and opened it up. All the while, Much looked at her in disbelief.

"What…what are you doing?" Much stuttered. Tears were now streaming down his face. John came around to the other side of Robin and sat down against the tree.

"I…can help." She said as she continued to flip through the mysterious book. Her eyes were concentrated on finding the right page; her lips were pressed together tightly. "You won't believe it, so I'm just going to…do it." She stopped turning and smacked her hand against the page she had found. "Got it."

"What exactly are you going to do?" Little John spoke up. The thought of a stranger helping their leader made him nervous. And as he looked at Much, he knew it wouldn't end up well if she made a mistake. Robin's ex servant was attached to him, nothing could separate them. And anyone could tell by the way Much was looking at Robin now. He had one of Robin's hands in his, squeezing it tightly to comfort the man. His eyes were trained on the pained face, but would convert over to the lowering beat in his chest ever so often.

Anne looked at the pair to, then at John. "Please, just trust me. I don't have time to explain." Her eyes were pleading with him to allow her to do whatever she was about to do. And by the look she gave him, he somehow knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Go ahead." He whispered. Anne nodded her head. She took the book and laid it gently in her lap, as if it would break by the slightest touch. She proceeded to close her eyes then place her hands on Robin's chest.

"Wait, what're you…" Much started, but stopped when Anne gave him a shrewd look. He closed his mouth and looked back at Robin, who was beginning to shiver.

Anne began to chant words they didn't understand. John looked over at Much, who wasn't paying attention in the least. John's eyes grew wide as he figured out what she was doing. He began to say something, and even began to get up and run, but paused. His leader was dying, one of his most trusted friends. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if that happened. The thought of witch craft made him sick to the stomach, but John pushed that aside and trusted the young girl.

"Robin, you're going to be okay." Much whispered to him. Anne was still chanting another language, eyes still closed and hands still placed on Robin. "You're going to be okay." Much muttered again. He closed his eyes and began to shake.

None of this could be happening. It had to be a dream. Robin wasn't really lying on the forest floor with a knife stuck in his back. He wasn't bleeding, and he wasn't getting closer to death by the second. He would probably wake up any second in the camp and find Robin eating by the fire. They would go back to stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Or better yet, they would be back at Locksley, back in Robin's house. They would have come back from the war with King Richard still in charge. Nothing was wrong. Nobody was hurt. No one's best friend would be lying on the ground dying.

"Mu…Much." Much's eyes flew open. Robin was staring up at him with a still pained face. Much turned to Anne, who was sitting back on her heels. She was crying softly. Little John was staring wide eyed at Robin.

"Robin." Much whispered. "You're," he paused. He looked at Anne again, and then John, who had his eyes closed now. "Not okay." Much struggled to push those words out. It pained his heart to say them. Robin looked up at him with sad eyes. He nodded his head in agreement. Much shook his head though. Tears kept running down his cheeks.

"You…you said you could help." Much looked at Anne. "You said you could make him better!" Anne flinched at the volume Much yelled that. She only shook her head and started to cry even harder. Much looked back to Robin. His eyes were fluttering, his breathing getting slower by the second.

"No!" Much yelled. He bowed his head. "No." This time he whispered his denial, hoping, that just maybe, this wasn't really happening. "You can't…I mean…You're going to be okay." Much tried to smile, but it quickly slipped away. Robin struggled to keep his eyes open.

"I'm…so sorry Much." Robin whispered with little strength in his voice, which was barely audible.

"No, don't say that." Much shook his head. "Just stop." Much put a hand on his own face and wiped his tears away, then placed it back on top of Robin's hand.

"You…could've had…a better life." Robin said, not listening to Much's begging. "It was all…my fault." Robin's face contorted in pain. His green shirt was making him sweat even more then he would have at this point. His eyes were beginning to lose the intensity and life they had in them. His hand stopped shaking, as it had been doing ever since they had escaped into the cover of the forest. He was losing his strength all together.

"Robin, please don't do this." Much cried. "I…I can't…" Much broke down completely. His hand slipped from Robin's. He brought it to his head and began pulling at his own hair. The other lay lifelessly beside him.

This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening. Those three words ran through his mind over and over. Robin was dying. That couldn't happen. Yet, he was right in front of him, shaking, bleeding, losing the fight against life. Everything they've done, everything they've worked for, was quickly fading away! Much shook his head over and over, trying to deny it. The sobs that came from him were uncontrollable.

"Much." John laid a hand on his shoulder. The sound of his voice was unnatural, nothing like the normal John. Pain was laced into it, and to his own surprise, tears were falling down his face. This was nothing like the big and scary John everyone knew. He had never cried before, ever. He was the one that stood strong when things were tough. He was the one that never broke down, especially in front of people. But this was different, this had never happened to him before. He didn't know what to do, what to say.

"I'm so sorry." Robin said again. Everyone looked at him, including Much. He took his hand again, and Little John laid a hand on Robin's arm.

"No need to apologize." John said quietly. "You've done good. We won't quit, ever." He squeezed his arm as Robin's lips turned upwards into a smile. Much just shook his head.

"Much." Robin looked over at him. "Please…" Robin paused. He struggled to keep talking. "Don't quit."

Much shut his eyes. He couldn't bear to hear Robin's voice like this. He couldn't bear to see him. This wasn't right. John was crying, Robin was dying. None of it was right!

"I won't quit." Much said through clenched teeth. And he…actually…meant it. He wouldn't stop doing everything they had worked for, not after all of this time. Robin lived for this, for his people and his home. Much wouldn't throw that away, he would keep it living, along with Robin.

Just as Much started to open his eyes, he felt Robin's hand slip from his.

I…am…so…evil. I had to do it. You had to have seen it coming! Oh gosh, I feel guilty and shameless. So sorry if this chapter sounds weird, if I repeated myself, or have any mistake. I just couldn't stop shaking! My hands were uncontrollable! I almost burst into tears myself! Oh, I might just die now. But wait, review! Trust me, there are lots more chapters to come. Don't disappoint me, or you'll never know what happens next!


	13. Chapter 13

"No!"

Much's scream echoed through the forest. It rattled from tree to tree, seemingly making the branches sway from side to side. The strain in his voice caused even the animals among the forest cower and hide. Even the light simmering through the tops of the trees seemed to darken just the slightest. All at once all noises ceased, except for the wailing of one young servant man.

"No! Please God no!" Much cried out.

He sat on the forest floor, rocking back and forth, holding his best friend in his weak and tired arms. His hands trembled as he clutched the now lifeless body, still warm to the touch. His eyes were closed as he continued to cry out.

"Robin, please wake up, please." Much whispered in between cries. The ocean couldn't contain the tears that flowed down his face and dropped onto his master. Each retching plea he cried reached Little John's ears and hit him in the chest. Each sob made shivers run up and down Anne's body. Even his own wailing made Much want to vomit.

They all sat there, no one keeping track of time. No one moved, and eventually everything got quiet. There was no need for any of it. Nothing mattered anymore. After a while life around them began to continue to move forward. Squirrels began gathering nuts again. Birds continued their joyful chorus. The sound of a cricket's orchestra started up in the distance. Everything and everybody on earth continued. They had no idea that someone so great was gone. They had nothing to grieve, no one to miss.

"Much."

Little John's voice was cracked when he spoke. His eyes were blood shot red, matching the color of his face. His cheeks were wet and soppy, and his left hand was trembling. Much didn't seem to hear him; although he was only softly whimpering at this point. He still held his master, whose blood was now covering not only the ground, but Much's clothes too.

"Much." John said again. Much continued to ignore him. John sighed and slowly lifted himself off of the ground, using the tree behind him for support. His legs felt unsteady as he made his way around to Much's back side. John laid a hand on Much's shoulder.

"Much, we can't stay here." The ex man servant shook his head. He took hold of Robin's limp hand and squeezed it.

"I suppose we can't." There was a long pause in which there was only silence. No one really wanted to move. No one wanted to speak anymore, no one wanted to move forward. And how could they, when their only hope, their best friend, was dead? What was life worth anymore? Certainly not living.

Anne looked at the scene in front of her with grief and shame. She could barely watch as the other two men looked down at their leader with sadness and loss. Nothing could ever compare to her mixed feelings and confusion at this time. She thought she was supposed to help, to make things right. She was supposed to save Robin so that he could continue what he does, to save England from chaos. Now look what she had done, she let him die. She let him pass away in front of his two friends, and in the arms of his best. No one, ever, could shake this off from her. This feeling of guilt and, oddly, rage.

All at once, her feelings changed. She still felt sadness, but anger was trying to take its place in her. She couldn't help it. Just thinking of her father, how he deliberately handed over that insect to the Sheriff of Nottingham. How he knew what was going to happen, that someone was going to die. Just the thought of her dad right now made Anne want to vomit, and all of the sudden, she felt sick.

"Anne!" Much cried. He watched as Anne leaned over and let the contents of her stomach out onto the ground. Little John hurriedly stepped over to her and knelt down beside her. He took her hair in his hands and pulled it back, letting her continue. Anne began to cry as she ceased vomiting, and she soon had her head on the ground, not letting her cries go unnoticed.

"Anne." Little John rubbed the young girls back. Anne knew he was trying to help, but the feel of someone touching her made her want to vomit even more. Only problem was, she had nothing left in her. Anne started to dry heave. Pain shot through her chest from lack of recovery. Little John lifted his hand from her back like he knew he was hurting her.

"I'm…fine." Anne said, tears still flowing. She nodded her head towards John, letting him know that she was really okay. John backed up and went back to Much, still watching Anne with sympathetic eyes. Anne watched him, then Much, and then the body that Much was holding. The scene of it, she just couldn't handle it.

"I have to go." She said lowly. She reached forward and took her book in her hands. She then snatched the satchel from the ground as she quickly stood up. "I can't stay."

Both John and Much shot their heads towards her. "What do you mean go?" Much asked. His eyes were still wet with tears and his voice had a hint of pain laced in it.

"I can't stay." She repeated. "I…I don't have a reason to be here anymore."

"A reason? Don't you live here?" Little John asked with confusion.

Anne shook her head with dismay. "No, I don't." Anne stuffed the book in her bag. "My only reason was to save him." She looked over at Robin, and the others followed suit. Much looked back at Anne with lost eyes. When neither of the men spoke, Anne explained further.

"My…father is responsible for…what happened." Anne wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her body was shaking from head to toe. "He…gave your sheriff…a disease of sorts. He gave it so your sheriff could," Anne paused as she began sobbing harder, "kill Robin." She clutched the satchel close to her chest as she closed her eyes and kept weeping.

Little John stared dumbfounded at her. "Your…father?" He asked with wide eyes. Anne nodded her head. "He's a sheriff." When both of the men looked at her, wanting further explanation, she continued her story.

She told them of her abilities and how she had come across the insect. She then told them of the insect's own powers, and how her father had had a visitor not too long ago. But when she told them of how their own sheriff had planned on killing Robin with it, recognition and understanding came over their faces. It didn't take long to tell the rest of her story, and once she had finished, she stared blankly at the both of them. Neither of the men spoke.

"I…am sorry." She said softly. Much looked up at her than back at Robin. He finally understood why they had been released. The thought angered him, but he pushed it aside. He pushed Robin's hair back, showing his eyebrows and forehead. Much laughed inside. He never did keep his hair short for too long. No one made a move to comfort the young girl. When no one spoke, Anne slipped the satchel on her shoulder and bowed her head. She sniffled and let out a choked sobbed.

"Goodbye." She said softly. With that, she turned on her heal and began to walk away.

Little John watched her leave until she couldn't be seen. When she was gone he sighed and rubbed his face. "She shouldn't have left." He thought out loud. "She'll…get hurt." Much looked up at John with sad eyes.

"All of that was true then." He said, barely audible to John's ears. "She's a…witch. She knew Robin was dying. She let him die." Much bowed his head and shut his eyes tightly together. He shook his head slowly. "I don't even want to think about it." He said. "All of that; I just don't."

Little John looked at the spot she had disappeared from one last time, than nodded his head. He came on the other side of Robin and bent down beside him. He looked up at Much before slipping his hands under the body. Both of them rose from the ground at the same time.

"What do we do?" Much asked as he stared at Robin's limp body in John's hands.

"Camp." Little John said knowingly. "We have to tell the others. We have to have a proper burial." Much nodded his head slowly. A proper burial. Much repeated the three words in his head. He never thought he'd hear those words, not in these circumstances.

Little John began walking, and Much followed step. Together they made their way in the direction of camp, where hopefully, the others were waiting for them.

~~~RH~~~

Marian scooped the soup into her bowl, trying not to drip it on her dress. She licked her fingers as she walked over to a stump by a tree, getting the excess drops off. She sat down and began eating.

She had now been in the camp for over two hours. She couldn't help but let her mind take over and think of the worst outcome of that fight back at the lake. She knew Robin had the best hand at fighting, but with all of those soldiers, it seemed unlikely. Plus, she couldn't help but notice that he had seemed a little off. He seemed sick in sorts, but not a regular sickness. When she had seen him, he had looked pale. She could tell that he was burning up.

And another thing, the way he watched each person intently. When him and Gisborne were talking, she was watching in the forest. He seemed to train on each word Gisborne had said, as if…as if.

Marian shook her head and laughed out loud. To think such a thing. Robin? Deaf? It couldn't be. Besides, since when did Robin know how to read lips? He certainly never practiced it.

But then again…

"No." Marian said out loud. Marian didn't even want to think that way. If Robin ever became deaf, if anything ever happened to him, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Just thinking about him living out here, in the forest with little food, it made her shiver. She knew she gave him a hard time every once in a while, but she couldn't help it. He could be so annoying at times! The way he mocked her at times, the way he made fun of her and doubted her abilities. The way he joked about her, how he smiled and laughed. They way he talked and walked. The way he looked at her with such…passion.

Marian smiled. She might've hated Robin, but she sure did love him.

A noise in the distance made Marian jump and nearly knock her bowl over. The sound of men's voices could be heard not far from where she was. She also heard metal clanging and little bit of laughter. Marian stood up and peered through the thick trees. When she couldn't see anything, she set her bowl down on the ground and walked nearer to the edge of the camp.

"A traitor if you ask me!" A loud voice could be heard. Marian peered through. A flash of silver caught her eye, and she soon saw several men clad in armor and weapons making their way towards the camp.

"Oh no, not now." Marian whispered to herself. She looked over at them one more time, seeing that they were a quarter of a mile away. She quickly turned on her heel and made her way back to where she was sitting. She snatched the bowl from the ground and through it under a bed. She then put a lid over the pot on the fire, masking the strong smell of fresh food. She looked around once more, making sure it looked like nobody was here recently.

"Oy, what's that over there?" One of the men called. Marian turned her head to see that they were getting nearer. They had spotted the camp.

"I think that's it." Another one said. Marian began to run.

~~~RH~~~

"No, don't!" Will cried. He shoved the guard off of Djaq and pulled her to the back of the cell. He handed her over to Allan, who put a firm grasp on her arm.

"You can't take her." Will said through gritted teeth. The guard he had pushed quickly regained balance and came forward towards Will. He took Will's neck in his grasp and tightened his grip.

"I don't think anybody asked for your opinion." He growled. Will's face began to turn purple against the pressure.

"Stop this!" Tuck stepped forward from the other side of the cell. He pushed the guard's arms off of Will, who fell back on the floor. The guard slapped Friar Tuck on the face as Djaq fell forward onto the ground to help Will.

The slap didn't faze Tuck, and he continued to stand tall in front of the guard. "You have no right to take a woman. By all means take one of us, but take a man." The guard's mouth turned upwards into a crooked smile. He waved his right hand behind him, signaling for more guards to enter the prison cell. One of the guards went to Friar Tuck, taking his hands behind his back and pulling them into a lock. He hissed at the pain. Another guard rushed to Djaq and took her by the wrist, while another one took hold of Allan, who had just about hit the other guard. With the two men restrained, and one on the ground, the guards shoved Djaq out of the cell and into another room.

"No!" Allan yelled. He stared at the door where she had disappeared, then down at Will. His eyes kept shifting from each one.

"This isn't right." Friar Tuck snarled at the remaining guards. The one holding Allan shoved Allan against the wall and began to walk out. The one behind Tuck pushed him forward and made him fall to the ground. The guard at the door just simply smiled as screams from the other room filled the air.

"Nothing is fair in life." He said before closing and locking the door. The three men walked out of the room and up the stairs, leaving the prisoners to listen to their companion's screams.

"Will." Tuck whispered as he crawled over to the still struggling man. He was lying on his back, still trying to catch his breath. His face was still purple from loss of air. Tuck came by the fallen man and lifted him into a sitting position. "You need to sit up, let the oxygen run through your lungs." Will shook his head and closed his eyes. "Allan, he doesn't seem to be getting enough air."

Allan, who had been sitting and leaning against the wall, shot his head up. His eyes were wet from tears. The screams from Djaq had affected him more then he wanted.

"What's the matter then?" He said, worry now for his friend on the ground. He got up and hurried over. He kneeled down beside Will and laid a hand on his back.

"I suppose the guard had hit a wrong nerve in his neck, blocking his way for air." Tuck took Will's face in his hands and looked him in the eyes. Will made no recognition of seeing him, his eyes were distant.

"How is that even possible?" Allan asked, baffled. He never understood medical stuff.

"It just is." Tuck said. "Now I need you to lay his head in your lap." Tuck began pushing Will towards the ground. Allan moved himself so that Will's head rested on his legs. Tuck scooted closer to him, taking Will by his chin.

"Will, this is going to hurt." Tuck said. Will shut his eyes, still trying to gain more oxygen. Tuck lifted Will's head back, than placed his index finger on a certain spot on Will's neck. He began to press it, causing Will to squeeze his eyes tighter. Tuck kept pressing while he stared into Will's eyes, watching his reaction. Soon enough, Will began to relax, and he finally he passed out.

"What'd you do then?" Allan said just above a normal voice. He looked down at Will to see if he was still breathing.

"He had to succumb to passing out in order for him to begin breathing again." Tuck said, lifting Will's eyelids. "He seems fine now." As he said that, another scream reached their ears. Allan shivered.

"How can they do that?" Allan shook his head. "She's…she's a woman for God's sake."

"There are cruel people on this earth, Allan." Tuck said. "And there are good one's too."

Allan looked up at him. "Like Robin." Allan caught on.

Tuck nodded his head. "Like Robin. I'm sure he'll get us out of here, I'm sure of it."

So sorry for the long wait! I've been so busy! Anyways, I know what most of you are think, what is up with that nerve thing and Will? Well, I am no doctor, and what happened to him may or may not be something that can happen in real life. I just thought it sounded cool. And I PROMISE chapter 15 will be up faster then this one took. PROMISE. And don't forget, review!

Return to Top


	14. Chapter 14

"He…didn't even know." Much said.

They were still heading back towards the camp. The sun was setting far in the east, dropping shadows along the path they followed, giving the impression that they were being followed by foot soldiers. They walked slowly, both men keeping silent and to themselves. That was until Much had spoken.

"Who?" Little John asked. He had been only looking ahead of him, trying not to look at what, or rather who, he was carrying. His mind was elsewhere, far away from where he was supposed to be. He tried to imagine that he was carrying something else: flour, straw, anything but his leader, his friend. It was hard though, especially when every time he took a step Robin's head would move a little.

He knew Much was watching Robin the whole time though. And he didn't blame him. Robin was his master, his best friend. Little John only hoped that Much didn't expect his friend to wake up. The way he was looking at him though; in his eyes there was hope. But there was also doubt.

"Robin, he had no idea that he was going to…" Much stopped talking and halted. He tried inhaling, but it wavered and turned into a whimper. He shut his eyes, trying to get the memory out of his head.

"Much?" John asked, stopping also and turning around.

Much leaned up against a tree and shut his eyes, putting a hand against it for support. He felt dizzy all of the sudden.

Little John stared at him for a moment before laying Robin's body on the ground. He began to slip off his long, brown coat, and then laid it on top of the body. He let his hand linger on Robin's arm, hoping that by any might above that he would move.

He didn't.

Little John pulled his hand back in dismay. He stood up and went up to Much, who was still leaning against the tree.

"He was sick. He was already," John paused, the words hurt to say, "dying. Anne told us." Much turned his head towards John and shook it. One tear slipped down his cheek. He looked like a helpless, innocent baby deer in his state.

"He didn't know though. We didn't know." Much gasped in between his hiccups. He turned back around to the tree. Little John put a firm grip on his shoulder and squeezed it.

"We need to keep moving." He said firmly. "The others should be worried by now."

Much nodded and grasped John's arm, squeezing it to show that he understood. And even though the glint in his eyes showed despair and loss, he gave a weak smile.

"We'll give him a proper burial." He said as his eyes lingered towards the covered body. "For everything he's done."

"That we will." John said. He returned a forced smile.

"Shall we?" Much stooped down to the body and lifted back John's thick jacket. He placed three of his fingers against his lips and brought them down to Robin's forehead.

"Forever live on in peace, my friend." He whispered softly to the pale, sill body. And even though Much knew he wasn't, he greatly appreciated the fact that Robin looked as if he were sleeping. John kneeled beside the other side of him too, repeating the same ritual and whispering something that couldn't be heard. He gently lifted Robin from the ground and cradled him to his chest.

"Let's go; it's getting dark."

Much lifted himself up, weak in the legs but strong in his determination. He followed beside his two friends, keeping his eyes averted from John's jacket. Instead he watched the animals scurry about; some taking shelter from the chilly air and others just now coming out to eat. And although they all differed greatly, they still had one thing in common: they hadn't suffered a loss that day. And for that Much envied them deeply.

They continued to walk, even when the night stars came out and the sun said its final goodbye. Again silence ensued, making it a long and tiresome journey. The cold didn't help much either, and Much now wished he had his coat with him. But that was long gone, he was sure. Somewhere in the midst of that day's fight it had found its way off his shoulders and into the mud, dropped carelessly and forgotten without a second thought. Surely it had been trampled and ignored.

As the moon rose full above them in a sign of late night, Much began to recognize the area around him. Although it was hard to see through the thick, night air, he still found some of the trees familiar. John must have noticed to, for he inadvertently began to walk faster, eager to get back to camp. The thought of such eagerness sickened Much in an unexplainable way. He knew the reason though: John needed to see his other friends. He needed to know that they were alright. Plus, the thought of carrying his own friend made Much's stomach churn; certainly John felt the same way, and wanted to face away from the horrors of that day's bringing.

"Much." John suddenly said, stopping dead in his tracks. Much halted beside him, his eyes darting from his face to where he was staring. He saw John's breath quicken.

"What is it?" Much whispered. He tried peering through the darkness. The only thing he could see was the place their hidden door to the camp was. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it. Finally.

"We're here." He said above a whisper. He started to walk forward, eager to find some comfort in the holding of his "home". Before he could take a step though, John's leg shot out in front of him and tripped him, causing him to stumble forward.

"What?" Much said angrily. John brought a finger to his lips in the universal sign of be quiet. His eyes were still trained in the same direction.

Much looked back, wondering what could cause the man such great hesitance. He stared for a moment, taking in each aspect of the woods around the camp, the path that led to it, and the open door that awaited them to walk through.

Open.

"John, it's-" He was cut off by a loud shush from the other man.

"I know." He whispered. The door to the camp was open, something none of the outlaws voluntarily did. Each night they checked it, and if it was open, closed it in fright of someone invading the camp in the middle of their sleep. And now was no exception, even if the others were waiting for them to get back. Something wasn't right here.

"What do we do?" Much asked, grasping his woolen hat in frustration.

"We check it out." John replied. He slowly and silently stepped over to a large tree to his left. Gently he lowered Robin's body to the ground, careful of not laying him atop any sticks. He bent low for a minute, saying something Much couldn't hear. He then reached out and covered the body with branches covered in leaves, then rose.

"We shouldn't leave him here." Much started to protest.

"And take him in with us?" John asked. "I'd much rather we get killed and they not find him than we get killed and they take his body." He sounded angry, as if the thought was creeping into his mind and torturing him.

"You're right." Much nodded. He stared at the silhouetted heap by the tree. It seemed vicious and unusual to leave the dead in such a way. The thought of what would happen to the body made a tear slip out of his eye. He quickly wiped it away, knowing it was for the best. He would much rather a wild animal find him than lets Vaisey get his disgusting hands on his best friend.

"Follow me." John said as he moved forward. Much did as he was told, stepping on a twig the moment he took a step. John's head shot back at him.

"Quietly." He hissed. Much nodded his head. He now wished that he had any source of a weapon to defend himself with. He noticed John clutching his fists closed, and knew he felt the same pang.

It was silent as they neared the entrance to the camp, none of the night animals were out anymore. It's as if they knew there was about to be a show down, one they didn't want to be caught in. John stopped and turned around, motioning to the right with his hand.

"You go around-"

He never got to finish his command. A sudden holler from inside the camp stopped both men in their tracks. Several shouts followed in chorus, words jumbling together in an unbearable mess. John's hand was frozen in the air, surprise taking over his mind. He turned his head around, obviously seeing something Much couldn't, and yelled for him to run. He only had time to see the first emerging soldiers coming from their hideout before he began to dodge in the opposite direction. He heard John heavily stepping behind him as an arrow sped past his head.

Shit. No, no, no.

John was shouting something to him that couldn't be heard over the various voices resonating towards them. He decided not to slow down and risk not knowing what had been said. All he concentrated on was keeping his feet from tripping over one another, a difficult task in the near pitch black. His cheeks were stinging from the cold wind that pushed him back and his eyes were watering up. But he had a destination, and he wasn't going to let anybody or thing get in his way.

"Much, leave him!" John bellowed above all the other noises. Much ignored him. He skidded to a halt and had to catch himself on the tree before he fell flat on his face. He glanced behind him at the on-coming band of soldiers, just black shadows from what he could see. They were only a hundred yards away, weighed down by their armor and weapons.

"We have to take him with us." Much said hurriedly as John came huffing up to him. Much was already uncovering his friend's body, his own shaking violently from the exertion of surprise and cold temperatures.

John shook his head as he leaned over, hands on knees. "We can't, he'll slow us down. Now come on!" He pulled at Much's shirt, easily jerking him to his feet. Much tried resisting him, throwing his arms against John's in an attempt to get free.

"We can't leave him!" Much yelled. John ignored him and continued to drag him away from the tree. Much cried out in protest, now in an all out frenzy. He thrashed his whole body, refusing to leave his only best friend. Not to those soldiers. He couldn't leave Robin. He couldn't leave him there.

John clamped his hand over Much's mouth as he threw them both behind another tree. The soldiers were getting closer, and Much's muffled yelps still echoed through the trees. John did the only thing he could think of at that moment: He punched Much across the face.

"Do you see them?"

John clutched the now unconscious man close to him, bringing himself closer to the tree in an attempt to make himself invisible.

"Nay, they must have run in another direction." A soldier replied venomously.

"How many were there?" The obvious leader who had spoken first asked the rest of his recruit.

"I only could make out two, but-"

"Hey, you might want to come check this out." Another man interrupted. He was the closet to the two hiding outlaws.

The sound of several pairs of feet crunched leaves as they marched over towards them. John held his breath.

"Who is it?"

"Is he alive?" Two men asked at the same time.

"Nay, cold as ice." John shut his eyes at the words.

"Bring the lamp over here." The leader commanded. Something was tossed through the air and caught roughly. Several gasps ensued shortly after.

"It be him, it be Robin Hood." Several voices whooped in delight.

John silently cursed. He involuntarily gripped Much tighter to him, already knowing the effect this would have on him.

"Grab him up then, I'm ready to get home." A new voice sighed.

"Aye, nice ale awaits me I'm sure." A few laughs replied.

John felt himself shaking with anger. To think anybody could care so little for a dead man; it was sickening. If only he could get his hands around every single one of their throats; he would hold on until the devil came to greet them personally. John literally had to dig his fingers into the dirt to keep from getting up right then.

Someone had apparently already taken up the body and all of the soldiers were singing a song usually only sung within a tavern. John risked peering around the tree to watch them leave. He grasped the grass even tighter at the sight of them carrying his friend: without any care, thrown over a shoulder of the largest man in the group. He barely noticed the tears that threatened to fall.

"I'm so sorry, Robin." He whispered, nearly inaudible. "I'm so, so sorry."

This chapter was a bit slow, but it's only getting started again after my long haitus. Thank you for your patience though, all of you! And I promise, next chapter will have Marian fighting, Anne badass, and special little...well...I can't say. BUT, I can say this: This next chapter will be fairly large, so it will take some time. My usual chapters are just over 2,000. But I expect this one to be...4,000 or more?

Oooh, chills already.


End file.
